Clinch
by RainneCassidy
Summary: A reworking of the finale.  Spoilers through 3x24 "Knockdown".  Coauthored with WonderTwinC.
1. Chapter 1

It was an ambush – there could be no other word for it. He left the Old Haunt just after one-thirty in the morning and strolled down to the corner to catch a taxi. A man sat on a stoop in the shadows nearby, older and grizzled, smelling of alcohol, and asked him if he could spare a buck. Castle could, in fact; he drew a twenty from his pocket and stepped toward the man, his hand outstretched. Then another hand shot from the shadows, gripped his wrist, and snatched him into the darkness.

When he came to, he recognized his location almost immediately; he was bound to a chair in the middle of Kate Beckett's living room. He was facing her front door, and for a long, crazy moment, he made eye contact with the Tibetan Buddha statue that reigned supreme in the entrance. Then his view was blocked by the figure that stepped in front of him.

The man was dressed in unrelieved black from head to toe; the only part of him that was visible was his eyes, glittering coldly through the holes in the ski mask. "Mr. Castle," the man greeted him in a calm, almost cultured voice. "I'm afraid your evening is about to become very unpleasant. This is unfortunate – for you – but necessary, I'm sorry to say. I need you to carry a message to your... muse. A very blunt, very specific message."

"All right," Castle replied gamely. "What's the message? I'll make sure she gets it."

The man crouched, looking Castle dead in the face. "It's very simple. I simply need you to remind her that her mother has been dead for a very long time, and she still has a lot of people she can lose."

Castle nodded. "I'll let her know. Word for word. Promise."

The man stood again. "Word for word won't be necessary," he replied. "She's a smart girl. I'm sure she'll get the point fairly quickly."

The first blow was to his face; it snapped his head back and made him see stars. The second was to his solar plexus. The third was to the right side of his rib cage, and it was hard enough that he was fairly certain he heard a 'pop' with the impact. After the fourth, he stopped counting.

Blow for blow he felt himself start to slip away. Something plowed into his gut with enough force that he started choking on his own blood while trying to breathe. His vision swam and Kate's apartment faded in and out as the pain threatened to swallow him whole. Castle was slow to come back to his senses, hearing bits and pieces of the man's monologue around the insistent buzzing in his skull. It wasn't until he heard her name that his head jerked up with enough speed to leave him disoriented, but hearing the word _Kate_ brought him halfway back to cognizance.

"She's coming," said a voice – not that of the man in black. An accomplice. The man delivered one final blow, and then he was gone. Through the buzzing, Rick heard a nearby window squeak closed, and the distant sound of feet on the fire escape. And then he heard a key scrape in the lock, and the door swung open to admit Kate. She entered the darkened room without looking, her focus on Josh, who came in behind her, pushing the door shut. He reached to take her in his arms. Castle let his head drop, staring at his knees, and he let the buzzing overtake him when he heard Josh's startled exclamation and Kate's voice, full of stunned disbelief, saying, "_Castle?_"

Rick inhaled deeply, grimacing at the pain that raced through his body, before he raised his head to see his partner and her boyfriend in the darkness. He managed to plaster a half smile on his bruised and bleeding face for her benefit more than his own. "Sorry for intruding, Detective," he replied with a raspy voice that wasn't really his own, even with the slightly familiar tones of teasing underneath the discomfort.

Josh reached out in search of something and the darkness disappeared with the flip of a switch. Castle flinched at the sudden light, lowering his head when the buzzing became too much to bear.

Kate went to her knees beside him immediately, heedless of the blood on the floor, which was transferred immediately to the knees of her jeans, or the blood on him, which was transferred to her hands. "Oh, my God," she was whispering. "Who did this to you?"

Josh came from the kitchen with a knife, which he used to cut the ropes binding Castle's hands, and the writer's arms fell forward uselessly, numb from being tied back. "Don't know," Castle mumbled, the words feeling mushy in his battered mouth. "Din' see 'is face. Said to give you a message." He raised his head again, peering at her through rapidly-swelling eyes. "Said your mom's not th' only person you got to lose."

Kate's face tightened at about the same time Rick's vision blurred for the second time. He was only barely holding himself up in the chair as it was; when the disoriented feeling came back in a rush that left him dizzy and weightless, he started to slip out of it. Someone, Kate he thought when he caught the scent of cherries, managed to lower his battered body to the ground while Josh made the call for an ambulance. His eyes closed of their own accord, partly from swelling and partly from exhaustion, and he leaned back against the chair legs he had been propped up against.

"Castle, stay with me, okay?" she managed to get out around the lump forming in her throat at the sight of a bloody Richard Castle. It didn't help that he had mentioned her mother a few moments ago either. Thinking of Johanna was a sure fire way to break down her walls.

"Tired," he replied, his voice sinking. "Hurts."

"I know," she replied, her voice soothing, her hands gentle on his face. "But you have to stay awake for me, okay? You might have a concussion." She brushed his hair back as Josh went downstairs to meet the ambulance. "The paramedics are here," she told him. Then she swallowed hard. "Castle... Rick... tell me what they said again."

He opened his eyes as far as he was able, looking into hers. He spoke carefully to ensure that she understood him. "He said your mom's been dead for a long time, but you still have other people you can lose."

"They're here," Josh interrupted as he stepped back into the apartment with the paramedics on his heels. Kate started to get up on instinct, ready to let them take care of her partner but Castle was faster. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, holding tight.

"Kate."

"Castle, you have to let me go – the paramedics need to get to you."

"Kate," he said again, pulling at her. "Find Alexis."

"Isn't she at home?"

He shook his head slightly, wincing at the pain. "She… friend's house. Sleepover. Find her. Keep her safe."

"I'll find her," she promised. "Which friend?"

There was a long pause. "Paige."

"Does she have her cell phone?"

"Should." He released her and she stood, stepping out of the way of the paramedics and pulling out her own cell phone. It was two in the morning, but she suspected Alexis wouldn't care. She flipped through the contacts list until she found the one labeled "Castle 2.0" and dialed.

Castle let his eyes stray away from Kate as the paramedics went to work. Josh was standing off to the side, watching Kate out of corner of his eye but his real focus was on the writer and the work being done to him. He only looked away when he heard Kate utter a soft greeting into the phone.

"Detective Beckett...?" Alexis had been on the edge of sleep when her phone went off and it showed in her voice. It was rare that the Detective called and the hour at which the call came had the teenager on edge. "Is everything okay?"

"Not exactly, but don't panic, because everything is _going to be_ fine." She emphasized the verb, speaking firmly.

Alexis's voice was shaky when she replied. "Is it my dad?"

"It is, but not what you think. He's been roughed up pretty badly, but he's going to be fine. The paramedics are taking care of him as we speak. I need to know where you are; I'm going to send Ryan and Esposito to come pick you up."

Alexis gave her the address; Kate could hear her moving around, gathering her things. "I'll wait outside so everyone doesn't get woken up."

"No." Kate's denial was firm. "I don't want you within sight of a door or a window. Do you understand? You stay inside. I'll have one of them call your phone rather than buzzing, but you _stay in the apartment_. Is that clear?"

There was a long pause, and then Alexis spoke again, her voice unnaturally calm. "This is big, isn't it, Detective?"

"Bigger than you know," Kate replied. "I'll try to explain when I see you."

"All right." Alexis's voice remained even. "I'll be ready when they get here." She hung up, and Kate dialed Esposito.

"Hey boss. You're up lat-"

"Now's not the time, Esposito. I need you to call Ryan. I want both of you to pick up Alexis from this address and don't let her out of your sight." Kate's voice was firm as she turned to look at the paramedics while they tried to coerce Castle onto a stretcher.

"On it, Boss." Esposito ended the call without another word and once again Kate was proud of how quickly her team went to work.

She moved to Castle's side. "Stop fighting them, Castle. Get on the stretcher." He obeyed instantly, his hand groping for hers, and she realized why he'd been fighting. "I just got off the phone with Esposito," she assured him, her thumb rubbing the back of his hand absently. "He and Ryan are on their way to get Alexis. They'll meet us at the hospital."

"She's safe?"

Kate nodded. "She's safe. I promise, I will keep her safe."

"Thank you," he whispered."

She let him go again so that the paramedics could take him, then turned to Josh. "Will you – ?"

He nodded. "Of course, Kate." He started to follow the paramedics, then stopped, reaching up to touch her cheek. "I know he's your friend. I know he's… important to you. I'll take care of him."

She smiled slightly, feeling her eyes grow damp. "Thank you for understanding."

He leaned down and pressed a gentle peck to her lips. "Change your clothes and meet us at the hospital." Then he was gone, and Kate was alone with Castle's blood on her hands and her clothes and her floor.

By the time Kate had managed to change and make it to the hospital Ryan and Esposito were already there with an anxious Alexis. The teenager was sitting between the two detectives as she talked in quiet tones to her grandmother on the phone. Ryan stayed in his chair while Esposito got up and met the brunette halfway.

"Josh said they took him back for scans to determine if he needed surgery. Alexis is on the phone with Martha."

Kate nodded. She waved Ryan over, waiting until he had joined them before taking a deep breath. "This has something to do with me," she began, and explained about the message Rick had been told to pass along. "Whoever did this, it's about my mom's case. And they're telling me that they're not going to stop unless I do. They're trying to intimidate me into stopping by going after the people around me."

"Then we need to be taking steps to keep those people safe," Ryan said firmly. "Alexis says Martha's on her way here. Where's your dad?"

Esposito was quick to scribble down the address Kate recited from memory before leaving the ER with Ryan at his side. She took a moment to gather herself before moving to take a seat beside the red headed teen.

"You okay?" Kate asked quietly, aware that Alexis was probably somewhat shaken up after the cryptic two am phone call. To her credit, Alexis was pretty calm after talking to her Gram on the phone.

"You said you'd tell me what was going on."

"I did." Kate sat down and took a deep breath, searching for a starting point.

Alexis laid a hand on her arm. "Just give it to me, Kate. Don't hold anything back out of fear of my delicate ears or anything, okay? Whatever it is, I can take it."

Kate studied the girl – young woman – for a long moment before nodding. "You know, I actually think you can." She took another deep breath and started at the beginning, in a low voice, and told Alexis everything.

When she was done, Alexis sat back, her face pale and her eyes wide as she processed what she'd just heard. "Okay," she said a couple of times, and then she nodded. "Okay. So if they're after us now, it's because they want to make you shut up. But why not just go after you? If they want you to stop so badly that they'd beat up my dad like that, why not just beat _you_ up?" She paused, realizing what that may have sounded like. "I mean – don't get me wrong, I don't want you to get hurt, really, I don't. I just don't understand why they would take this roundabout method. Why not come at you directly?"

Kate opened her mouth to answer, but stopped when she realized that she didn't actually _have_ an answer. "I don't know," she admitted.

"Kate," the voice drifted from the direction of the double doors and she looked up to see Josh coming toward her and Alexis. She stood, taking the teenager's hand when she did the same. The smile her boyfriend offered did little to relieve the worry that Kate felt concerning Castle. The writer was tougher than he seemed on a daily basis but there had been a lot of blood on her apartment floor.

Alexis was the first to step forward, still holding Kate's hand. She recognized the man as the doctor who came out earlier and informed Detective Esposito of her father's condition when they first arrived. "How is my Dad?" she asked in the calmest voice that she could manage at the moment, remembering that Kate promised that her father would be okay.

Josh looked from his girlfriend to Alexis before he answered. "Your Dad will be fine. He had a mild concussion and a few cracked ribs, which were the biggest concerns. He has some stitches and a lot of bruising, but he's alright." The smile on Kate's face was full of relief but not nearly as bright as the one he got from Castle's offspring. "He's asking for you." At this he turned to look from Alexis to Kate and the expression on his face changed somewhat. "Both of you."

Kate nodded, giving Alexis's shoulder a little push. "You go first," she said. "I'll be there in a second."

Alexis gave her an odd look, but then she turned back to Josh, who pointed through the doors. "Third door on the left," he said. "Go on in. It's fine." He waited until she'd gone before turning back to Kate. He held up a hand when she started to speak, and chose his words carefully. "Kate," he said, his voice gentle, "I already know. Okay? I knew when we first started dating."

She felt the air go out of her in a rush. "You – what?"

He smiled slightly. "You think I didn't see you on the cover of that magazine? You think I didn't see the articles in the paper? Big-time writer starts following hot cop around? You've been the talk of the town for years, Kate. And when we met… when we started dating… I knew the rumors weren't true, because I knew right off that you weren't the kind of girl who cheated or slept around." He gave her a slight smile, reaching out to take both her hands. "But you care about him. You care about him a lot. And I'm not going to be that guy who gets in the way of something like that." He squeezed her hands. "Go be with him, Kate. He's what you need."

"I- Josh… thank you," she whispered softly as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Josh let go of her hands and allowed her to move around him and toward the third door on the left.

Castle was sitting up in his bed, arms wrapped tightly around Alexis as he whispered quietly into her ear. He didn't even have to look up to know that it was Kate who entered the room and his body language eased because of her presence. "Detective," he greeted quietly as he gave her one of his genuine smiles.

"Castle," she greeted in return, her lips twitching. "Was it really necessary to go to these lengths just to get my attention?"

"I just couldn't think what else to do," he replied, grinning and playing along. "But I figured, hey, once you get blood all over a girl's living room, she's _gotta_ like you after that."

Kate actually laughed at that, moving to sit on the bed with him when he patted his vacant side. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I had the shit beat out of me," he said frankly.

She nodded. "That's kind of how you look, too."

"I figured." He started to take a deep breath and winced against the bandages wrapped tightly around his chest. He squeezed Alexis's shoulders and looked over at Kate. "They snatched me off the street, Kate," he said softly. "From right out in front of the Old Haunt."

Her lips compressed against each other. "And they left you in my living room as a message." She swallowed hard. "Castle," she said, "I think we need to get out of the city."

His brow furrowed in confusion for only a moment before he was nodding. "I have the money to hide us. All of us." he paused for a moment and raised his eyes to meet hers. "Even your Dad."

The offer was not one made lightly, but Castle really didn't have to think it over either. He would do anything for Kate and he had the actual power to follow through with this offer. His mind was already thinking of places for them to go. Alexis wouldn't be too happy to leave, as she still had some school left, but he would find a way to make it work.

Kate bit her lip. "We have to be untraceable," she said. "We don't know what kind of reach this guy has."

Rick nodded slowly, considering. "I think we can manage that," he said. "But how will we ever solve this if we take off?"

"We'll take it with us," she replied. "We'll pack every bit of it up and we'll take it with us. We can go through old cases and files somewhere else just as well as we can here. If we need things out of the archives, Ryan and Esposito can get them and send them to us."

"They won't go with us?"

"We need someone here as well, Castle. Ryan and Esposito are big boys. They can take care of themselves," she explained with ease. It would make sense to have them stay and work the case and Kate already knew they would agree to being left in the city. If anything the boys would probably prefer to be left behind. She would have to talk to the Captain but she was sure that he would understand and probably even encourage the leave. He had been trying to push her to take a vacation anyway.

"It makes sense, I guess. I'll have to pull Alexis out of school-"

"Dad, it's finals time-"

"I know, sweetheart. I'll find a way to fix it. I promise," he assured Alexis with another tight squeeze, kissing the top of her head.

"You can probably take your finals early or online," Kate pointed out to Alexis. "As high as your grades are, I'm sure they'll work with you."

"Good point," Alexis agreed. Then she cocked her head. "How long will we be gone?"

"I don't know," Kate admitted. "As long as it takes."

The girl bit her lip. "And… I guess I can't tell anyone where we're going."

"No, sweetheart, you can't." Rick leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I know it's going to be hard on you, leaving your friends and Ashley and everyone. But it keeps them safe. What they don't know, they can't tell."

"Exactly," Kate agreed. "If they have no idea where you've gone – in fact, if they had no idea you were even leaving – it keeps all of them safe. If your entire group of friends is completely bewildered because Alexis just vanished off the face of the earth, then no one kidnaps, say, Ashley and tortures him to get him to say what he knows about where you are."

Alexis blanched. "I hadn't thought of that," she admitted in a small voice.

"I know." Kate reached over and took her hand. "And I'm sorry I had to put it that bluntly. But you need to understand that it isn't just us we're protecting – it's everyone around us, everyone who cares about us, everyone who could be a target because they might know something about where we can be found."

"Is that why we're bringing your dad? And Gram, too?" When Kate nodded, Alexis said, "What about Mom?"

Rick shook his head. "Anyone who knows anything about us – and I'm sure at this point that they know a lot about us – knows that your mom isn't really involved in our lives. She's safer not knowing anything, just like Ashley."

Alexis nodded her head in agreement, finally pulling away from her father and sliding off the bed. "I'm going to go check to see if Gram is here yet," she mentioned on her way out of the door, leaving the detective and the writer in the room by themselves.

Castle only waited a few beats for the silence to settle in before he broke it without remorse. "I'm sorry."

His words caught Kate off guard and she shifted on the side of his bed, turning so that she could better face him. She knew what he was feeling, just like she had the night that the Triple Killer got away. Reaching out, she took his hand and gave it a light squeeze as her eyes met his. "It's not your fault, Castle. You have nothing to apologize for. Understood?" The writer looked away and opened his mouth to protest, but Kate tugged on his hand a little harder to force his attention back to her. "I said it's not your fault, okay? It's not."

"I feel like it is," he admitted. "If I hadn't gone against your wishes and reopened your mom's case – "

"Then we never would have gotten as close as we are to actually solving it," she interrupted him. She held his eyes. "Whatever happens, Castle… _Rick_… I want you to understand that I have no regrets. Okay?"

He studied her for a long moment, and finally nodded. "Okay." He reached into his pocket then and pulled out his phone. "All right. Let's make a list of everything we're going to need to do in the next… six hours."

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

Within three days of being released from the hospital Castle had managed to sneak both his mother and Jim Beckett out of New York City. It wasn't easy, even with his vast fortune at hand, but he managed to make their disappearance just that: a disappearance. Not even Ryan and Esposito, or the Captain, knew exactly where any of them were headed, and they preferred to keep it that way.

His few bags were packed and sitting by the door to the loft with the others that are his daughter's. It had been a week and a half since he'd been kidnapped from the Old Haunt, which he gave over to the boys for the time being, and he was more than ready to disappear with Alexis and Kate.

He wasn't entirely healed and it was apparent whenever he strained too much or breathed too deeply, but he was ready to leave the city. All they were waiting for was Kate to finish up her arrangements concerning her 'vacation time.' Then they would all be gone.

"Dad, she'll be here soon. Why don't you sit down?" Alexis had said the same thing more than once to him that morning. She was more than tired of watching him pace back and forth from the front door to the kitchen and back again while waiting on Detective Beckett.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," Castle replied once more as he turned to pace from kitchen to the front door. His ribs protested all the movement and he stopped halfway to his destination with an irritated look at the floor.

"If you don't sit down," Alexis threatened, "I'll tell Kate you were overdoing it."

He glared at her. "That's playing dirty, and you know it."

"I learned from the best."

He started to flop down onto the couch in a fit of pique, then thought better of it at the last minute and lowered himself carefully into a chair instead. He caught her smug expression and glared at her. "You're not too old for a stern lecture, you know."

She snorted, returning to the book she was reading. He sighed, pulled out his phone for the millionth time, and checked his text messages. There was nothing. He sighed again and started to return it to his pocket. It beeped.

_On the way now,_ it said simply. _Be there in ten._

He sighed in relief, putting his phone back in his pocket before looking around the loft. They were leaving a lot of things behind to make it seem like they were coming back. Of course, Rick knew they were coming back eventually. This case would be solved just like all the others. He had to believe that in regards to keeping his family safe.

Rick was quick to get up when he heard the doorbell, his face twisting into a scowl at the sudden discomfort he felt. Alexis watched his every step with a careful eye as she called out softly to him. "Don't forget to check, Dad."

He waved her off with his hand and a nod as he peered through the peep hole to see Kate's face. It took him a minute to undo the deadbolt and several other locks before opening the door. "Good afternoon, Detective," he greeted her with a smile as he stepped back to allow her entrance into the loft.

Alexis smiled at Kate, looking at her father before giving her attention back to the other female. "He's been pushing himself today."

He made a face at Alexis. "Tattletale."

Kate shook her head at them both. "I got a call from the car service; they'll be picking us up in twenty minutes. Do we need to do a walkthrough and make sure there's nothing we've forgotten?"

The car service was not a car service; while their respective parents had left the city with private security hired by Rick, he and Kate had called in a favor with FBI Agent Jordan Shaw, who had worked with them on the case of a serial killer who was infatuated with Kate's alter ego, Nikki Heat. Shaw owed them – they'd saved her life and those of her teammates – and was a decent person besides, one who had absolutely no qualms about giving them any and all help they needed.

The arrangements had all been made via burner phone and outside of the apartment in case of listening devices. The three of them were ostensibly "going out of town for the weekend." They would seem to be picked up by a car service – actually an FBI agent – and delivered to the airport, where they would get on a flight to Washington, D.C. There, they would meet with Shaw and explain the situation in precise detail, including reading her in on Johanna Beckett's case. Then Shaw, in conjunction with Witness Protection, would provide the three of them with new identities and usher them into their temporary new lives.

In response to Kate's question, Alexis shook her head at the detective. "No, I already did one about half an hour ago. Everything's packed and ready to go."

Rick nodded his head in agreement with what Alexis had said. It was hard to leave so much behind, especially pieces of his daughter's childhood, but it all had to look just like a weekend away. He had managed to sneak a single photo album into his bag and it would have to do.

"Don't forget, Pumpkin." he reminded her as he took his phone back out of his pocket. They didn't want the risk that someone could track them through the GPS in their personal cells, and so they were leaving them behind. Alexis pulled her phone out of her pocket and removed its battery, leaving both on the kitchen counter.

Kate took her out her own phone and checked it one last time before taking out the battery. They had a burner phone to contact Shaw but from there the FBI would be preparing the gear. The plan was solid and engraved into everyone's mind by now.

"They should be here any minute now," she said, looking at her father's watch on her wrist.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Alexis said, running up the stairs.

Rick watched her go, then turned to Kate, feeling heart-heavy. There was one thing they hadn't yet talked about. "What does Josh think about you going off for the weekend?"

Kate blinked, then smiled slightly. "Rick… Josh and I broke up the night you were hurt." She reached out tentatively to run a finger down the bridge of his nose, which was only just looking like its normal self again. "He's gone all the time and he… he couldn't give me what I needed."

He felt his breath stop for a long moment, but they were interrupted by Alexis's noisy return. Kate snatched her hand back as if she'd been burned, and her burner phone chose that moment to ring. She answered, spoke briefly, and then shut it again. "That's the car service," she said. "They're downstairs."

Both Alexis and Castle gave the loft one last cursory look before heading toward the door. Alexis picked up her two bags with no trouble and made her way toward the elevator to make sure it was waiting on them. Rick bent to grab his own bags, doing his best to mask the look of pain that flashed in his eyes as he stood back up.

He took a semi-deep breath before facing Kate who had her bag slung over a shoulder. Both adults stepped out of the loft before he locked the door. Castle took another deep breath to center himself before he turned toward the elevator and fell into step a few feet behind Kate.

The elevator was empty, and the lobby deserted except for the doorman. Just outside the doors waited a black Lincoln Town Car; the driver stood by the back door waiting for them. Rick and Kate both recognized him as Special Agent Avery, a member of Shaw's team, and Rick felt himself let out a slow breath of relief as they climbed into the car. Avery shut the door, trotting around the front of the car and sliding into the driver's seat. "Detective Beckett. Mr. Castle."

"Special Agent Avery," Kate replied, smiling slightly. "I'd say it's nice to see you, but under the circumstances…"

Avery laughed as he pulled into traffic. "Understandable. The flight's all arranged; your boarding passes are in the console there." He gestured, and continued while Castle retrieved the paperwork. "Agent Shaw will be meeting you in D.C., and she'll take you to headquarters while we sort out the last leg of your trip."

"Thank you, Agent Avery," Castle said, his voice quiet but firm.

Alexis snuggled into her father's side silently, watching the way he kept glancing over at Kate when he thought no one else was looking. She was surprised that the detective was going with them, but relieved at the same time. As much as her father loved her she knew that he also cared for the woman on his other side and leaving the city without her had never really been an option in the writer's mind.

Rick wrapped an arm around Alexis when she settled, leaning down to press a quick kiss to the top of her head. The traffic was light for New York standards and they would be at the airport sooner rather than later. He spared another glance over at Kate before he made himself look back out the windshield to take notice of their surroundings as he counted down the streets until they made their destination.

She knew he was watching her nervously; she ignored him. She'd accepted the necessity of this escape the night he'd been in the hospital; it wasn't possible to stay in the city while solving this case. If she had to give up the city or the chance to solve her mother's murder, she'd give up the city. That was all right. Once it was over, she could come back; it wasn't like they were going into permanent witness protection.

The important thing was that everyone was safe. Her dad and Rick's mom were on their way – somewhere. She wasn't sure where. It was safer that way. Rick and Alexis would be with her. The boys would still be in the line of fire, that was true, but she was fairly sure they could take care of themselves. She was a little worried about Lanie, but Lanie had refused to leave Javier, and Javi had promised to keep Lanie safe.

She sighed softly as the car made its way to the front of the airport. Avery hopped out once they were stopped and opened the door, and Rick stopped to give him a final, heartfelt thanks under the guise of tipping him. Then they were inside the airport, their private jet passes speeding them through security and into the terminal.

The private jet, because Richard Castle the playboy would fly like this, was fully loaded when they stepped on board. There was no need for all of the bells and whistles with such a short flight but it would be easy to explain if someone happened to recognize him. In the end, it was all a part of their elaborate plan. Alexis disappeared for the back room as soon as she was inside. She still had some work to get done and now was her last chance for a while.

Castle made his way into the main cabin with a grateful sigh, moving immediately to the mini bar that was set up. He needed something to take the edge off before everything became too much. They were running for their lives and every step they took hammered home that truth just a little more. He busied himself getting a drink while Kate inspected the plane, scowling a little at how well it was equipped. She was comfortable with Rick but not so much with the money he possessed or the publicity he received. This was overdoing it even though they had agreed for the sake of their plan.

"Is there anything that this jet doesn't have, Castle?" she asked in a tone that was tinged with both exasperation and acceptance.

"Gold-plated head fixtures," he replied immediately, and she rolled her eyes. He sat down, drink in hand, and shrugged. "I don't know, Kate. It's not mine. I just chartered it for the trip down."

She blinked. "It's not yours?"

"No. I don't travel enough to warrant a private jet; it's cheaper just to buy first class tickets. And when I travel on book publicity, the publisher actually pays for those tickets." He shrugged. "A big part of being wealthy, Kate, is that people give you things for free. Just look at the big Hollywood events, all the celebrities with their swag bags. Once you get famous, it's easy to get rich, because you don't have to spend as much money."

"Huh." She sat down across from him. "I hadn't thought of that."

"No reason you should have," he replied easily. "It's less applicable for a writer, even a high-profile writer like me, but it still happens. Comped meals, hotel rooms, that sort of thing. It's worth it to a hotel or a restaurant for the publicity."

She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. "Sorry for being short-tempered. And in advance, too, because I'm probably going to be very bitchy toward you in the next few weeks, and in fairness, you probably won't deserve it."

Rick chuckled softly, swirling the glass in his hand as he watched her from his own seat. "In all fairness, Kate, I'll probably deserve it in the end." He was notorious for annoying her to death. He was also known to push all of her buttons at the wrong time and not back off before the explosion. Now would be no different because even if they were a thousand miles away from New York, they were still Castle and Beckett, which meant he would still be pissing her off in a way that only he could manage.

Kate slipped out of her seat without a word and made her way to the mini fridge in the corner for a bottle of water. There was a lot on her mind ranging from her father and the case all the way to her feelings about going away with Castle and leaving the rest of her team in New York. Her face showed nothing, but he had a way of reading her body language that sometimes surprised even him.

"You can be whatever you want toward me, you know. If it makes it any better, you can be whatever you want, Kate."

She shook her head. "That's the thing," she admitted as she returned to her seat. "I _don't_ want to be nasty. It just happens, and then I feel bad about it afterward." She slumped backward. "I hate feeling so out of control."

"If it helps at all," he said gently, "once we actually get where we're going, I think a lot of that out of control feeling will go away, because we'll be able to put our minds to the job and focus on the case."

"True," she replied. "And we won't have a lot of distractions." She paused. "Where are we going, anyway?"

He spread his hands. "Right now, your guess is as good as mine."

An hour and twenty minutes later, they had their answer. Kate, her new identity cards and passport in her hands, was staring at Jordan Shaw like the agent had lost her mind. "Venice?" she said again. "Italy?"

"I've always wanted to go to Venice," Rick commented as he stared at his passport and then his daughter's. Glancing over at Kate's he stopped short when he noticed the name on hers. "Hey, you have the same last name."

"What?" Kate took his papers and the look on her face switched to one of disbelief. "No-"

Jordan's face was stern but there was a definite glint of mischief in her eyes. "It only makes sense to have you enter the country as a family, Detective. All you have to do is act naturally."

Kate gave the agent a half-hearted glare, which she then turned on Alexis when the girl chirped, "Hey, you get to be my new stepmom." Alexis grinned unrepentantly, and Kate rolled her eyes.

"How I'm going to put up with both of you is beyond me," she said, affecting despair.

Castle laughed. "You can always just dump our bodies in a canal."

"Don't think I won't do it, especially to you." She turned back to Jordan. "All right. When we get to Venice, then what?"

The agent held out a piece of paper, a smile now on her face. "Open this when you touch down. Everything you need to know is on that piece of paper. Your team will be using us to communicate with you whenever they need to."

Kate took the piece of paper and put it away in her pocket, nodding in understanding. "And now?"

"You have enough time for a decent meal before you get back in the air. I'd use it wisely because your next eighteen hours will be spent on a plane."

Castle grinned, tugging Alexis to his side. "I know the perfect place."

Jordan raised an eyebrow. "Who said you were going anywhere? You're not leaving this room until we send you back to the airport. We ordered in for you." She opened the door and leaned out. "David? Oh, there you are. Yes, in here, please."

A young man in a black suit entered the room, bringing with him a huge bag full of something that smelled divine. He set it on the table and stepped back out, returning a moment later with three sodas fresh from a vending machine. "Sorry I couldn't do anything better on the short notice," he apologized, then ducked out of the room again.

Jordan watched as Rick began pulling food boxes out of the bag. "All right, I've got a few more loose ends to tie up, and I need to get your phone issued. It'll be a secure line, but you're to keep it turned off at all times unless you're actually using it to be in contact with us. And you _don't_ use it to contact anyone else." She eyeballed Alexis. "That means if you make any friends in Venice, your dad will have to get you a phone to use there. And you _can't_ use it to call any of your friends here. Clear?"

"Absolutely clear, Agent Shaw," Alexis replied with a nod, taking a box from her father.

"All right. I'll be back to get you soon." Shaw stepped out of the room and shut the door.

"I think they found the better Chinese food, Dad." Alexis informed him with a grin as she dug into the take-out. Castle snatched a box, shaking his head. "No way they found the better food."

"I think she's right, Castle," Kate teased, eating her own meal with a smile. Rick shook his head but paused after he took his first bite. He chewed thoughtfully before heaving out a sigh.

"Okay, fine. Maybe."

Alexis laughed. Kate just smirked, leaning back and propping her feet up on the conference table as she dug juicy chunks of chicken out of her fried rice. Castle pouted at them both before giving up the pretense and digging into his own food. It _was_ delicious, and they decimated everything. By the time Jordan returned, all that was left was half an egg roll and a few unopened packets of duck sauce.

"Everything's ready," Jordan announced. "Let's go."

They went with Jordan into the underground parking lot of the J. Edgar Hoover building and the four of them climbed into a black limousine, the windows of which were tinted completely black. They could see out – barely – but no one could see in. As they drove, Jordan filled them in on the last leg of their American travel: they would be delivered directly onto the tarmac behind the airport, where they would board a chartered flight which would stop briefly in Paris to refuel before carrying them on to Venice. Once there, they were nominally on their own, though the embassy was aware of their new identities and would be available if they needed immediate assistance, and Jordan herself could be reached via the satellite phone in a dire emergency.

"This sounds like something from one of your books, Castle." Kate had been teasing him since the Chinese food in her own attempt to lighten the mood. It was crunch time and everyone was more than a little nervous. Castle couldn't decide whether he would feel better when they touched down in Venice or worse.

Alexis, for her part, barely contributed to the conversation until they reached the tarmac for the second leg of their journey. As soon as she got on the plane she would be a world away from her friends and Ashley and she wasn't ready for that yet. Castle picked up on her anxiety however and pulled her against his side.

"I know, sweetheart... but it's only for a little while-"

She turned to look at her father, trying to smile but failing. "You can't promise that, Dad," she replied in a quiet voice before following one of the agents onto the plane with their luggage. Castle was left standing there on the tarmac with a frown.

"It'll be okay," Kate murmured behind him. "She's got good sense and she understands. It's just hard for her. Give her time, and give her space."

Castle nodded, took a deep breath, and shouldered his own bag. He reached for Kate's, only to find that she already had it, and nodded, gesturing toward the plane. "After you, Mrs. Cunningham."

She made a face at him. "Do not ever call me that again."

Chuckling, he followed her onto the plane.

Halfway through the eighteen hour flight found Alexis asleep and Castle typing away at his keyboard. The rhythmic sound of his fingers brushing against the keys was soothing to Kate as she stared at one of the case files. The small talk between them had disappeared as they became absorbed in their own little worlds.

Kate was staring at one of the pages in deep thought when Castle's voice startled her. "All of them have been cultured."

Putting down the page she shifted until she could see him sitting at his laptop. "Castle, what are you-"

"Coonan. Lockwood. The mystery man that kidnapped me. They weren't just street thugs. They were... different. Refined."

She cocked her head. "True. Do you think that has anything to do with the guy behind the curtain?"

"I do, yes." He took a deep breath. "I think he's the kind of guy who won't deal with common street thugs. Considers himself a higher class of criminal, if you will. He wouldn't soil his hands with that type of person."

She leaned forward, considering his words carefully. "So you think he's big. Bigger than we expected, I mean."

"I do. That's one of the reasons I asked Jordan to send us out of the country. Because I think this may end up going a lot higher than we expected, and when we blow the lid off this thing, it may just go sky-high."

She looked down at the papers in her lap again. "You may be right," she said slowly. "But we can't back out now."

"No, we can't," he agreed. "But I do think that we need to keep that in mind, and we need to remember that just because we're far away, it doesn't necessarily follow that we're entirely safe. Especially if they find out we're still working it from wherever we are."

Kate fell silent for a long time, staring at the wall of the cabin just beyond Castle's right shoulder. His fingers were still on the keyboard but they were unmoving as he stared at her. He was so close to breaking up the silence but her soft voice shattered it first. "Do you remember when I told you that I'd like you around… when I found my mother's killer?"

"Kate…" his voice was quiet and her name was so many things expressed all at once. He was telling her that she didn't have to say anymore and that he understood what she wanted anyways, but Rick was sure that she would keep talking until she got her point across. There wasn't much he could do to stop her at any rate. Her gaze shifted from the wall to his face and she offered him a somewhat tight smile.

"I still mean it, Rick. I want you around."

He smiled back – just a slight curving of his lips. "Good," he said softly. "Because I want to be around."

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

The house in Venice was absolutely gorgeous. Situated right in the middle of the San Marco district, it had a gorgeous view of the Rialto Bridge from its balconies. It was a narrow, four-floor palazzo sandwiched between two others in a block of six, gorgeously traditional on the outside and fabulously modern on the inside. Kate stood in the middle of the downstairs entryway and stared upwards in awe. "It's _gorgeous,_" she breathed.

"Wow," Rick said softly, entering behind her. "This is amazing."

It was open all the way to the third floor; glass partitions separated the upstairs floors from the wide gap. The floors were glowing golden wood, the furnishings mostly white – he paused to touch a nearby chair – suede. The kitchen, somewhat visible from his angle, appeared to be done entirely in stainless steel.

Alexis, exhausted from the trip, also paused in the entryway. "Pretty," she said simply, then trudged up the stairs, dragging her bags behind her. They watched her cross the second floor, look around for a moment, and then vanish behind a door, which closed firmly.

"Well," Rick said, "let's go see about beds." Five minutes later, he wished he hadn't; it turned out that there were only two bedrooms. The room Alexis had taken to pass out in contained a double bed; the third floor bedroom boasted a massive king-size fourposter. The fourth floor, where he had gone desperately hoping for another bedroom, turned out to be an attic which was so crammed full of boxes and trunks that he couldn't have fit a sleeping bag into it, much less a third bed.

"We are not sleeping in the same bed," Kate stated firmly as soon as he appeared at the bottom of the stairs again. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she stared at him with the same look she would give to a suspect during interrogation. Castle flinched, holding his hands up in surrender. Apparently Agent Shaw thought that their 'relationship' needed to be played out behind closed doors as well as out in public. "There's no other room, Beckett. I checked."

"Well check again, Castle. _We are not sleeping in the same bed_."

He opened his mouth to protest again, then suddenly shut it with a snap. "Fine," he said shortly. He grabbed one of the pillows, picked up his bag again and stalked out, leaving her standing there, feeling unaccountably stupid. She stood there for a long moment, staring at the ridiculously large bed, in which all three of them could have slept comfortably, and sighed.

She stepped out of the room and came down the stairs. He was standing in front of the couch, his suitcase open at his feet, changing out of his travel-worn button-up into something for sleeping. She came around the corner just as he shrugged the blue shirt off, and the first thing she saw was the wrapping of bandages around his chest. Now she felt like even more of a jerk. She sighed. "I'm sorry."

He froze, then turned to face her. "Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I warned you I was likely to act like a bitch for no reason. And there's no reason we can't share a bed. We're both adults. And you can't sleep on a couch with your ribs like that."

"I'll be fine," he replied, his tone still slightly short. "Go to bed."

She sighed. "Can we not fight, please?"

He studied her for a long moment, and finally nodded. "All right," he said, and this time his voice was softer. "Let's start over."

She gave him a very tiny smile. "Okay. Castle, there's only the two bedrooms, but the master bed is huge. I'm sure we'll be fine sharing it."

"I don't know," he replied, putting on a thoughtful expression. "Do you snore?"

She laughed softly. "No, but sometimes when I dream, I kick."

"Just don't kick me in a tender spot, and I'm sure we'll be fine." He leaned over to pick up his suitcase, but she was there in a flash.

"Let me," she said softly. "You shouldn't be carrying this anyway, with your ribs like they are."

Castle watched her carry his suitcase up the stairs and he followed close behind as he pulled his worn out t-shirt over his head for sleeping. She deposited his suitcase in a chair by the door as she entered what would be their room. He smiled lightly and offered up a soft "Thank you," before he started putting away his clothes into a few of the drawers, leaving some open for Kate to use as well. Between the jetlag and all the stress he was completely worn out but he managed to wait until she disappeared into the bathroom before he stripped down to his boxers and slipped into the bed.

The sheets felt cool against his skin and he sighed in contentment, lying on his back with his arms behind his head. The position tugged at his ribs and a few bruises but not enough to be agonizing. Castle was relatively used to the feeling of discomfort that seemed to underline any and all activities while he was in the process of healing.

"Castle, are you decent?" Kate's voice drifted from the bathroom as she finished getting ready to sleep. She was exhausted herself, but probably not as much as Castle since she took a small nap on the second half of the flight. She was unaware of the small smile that appeared on his face before he answered with "Of course, Detective."

She slipped out of the bathroom, pausing when she noticed him already under the sheets in 'their' bed. The thought sent an odd thrill through her body without her permission. It felt oddly comforting to have him in the same room and she felt like they were skipping a million steps between where they had been a few days ago and where they seemed to be now. Her silence was enough to cause him some uncertainty and Castle propped himself up to get a better look at her from across the room.

"Kate? Are you okay? I can leave –"

"No, no, Castle. It's not that. It's fine. I'm fine, all right? Don't worry about it." Her reply was quick and she sent him a small but reassuring smile as she stood at the foot of the bed.

He settled back against the pillow then and deliberately closed his eyes. The sight of her there in a white tank top and soft green yoga pants had sent a thrill through his body. She was sexy as hell dressed like that. But she was also clearly uncomfortable, so he would not add to her discomfort. He began taking deep, slow breaths, putting himself into a sleeping frame of mind, and felt the other side of the bed dip slightly when she finally sat down. There was a soft click as she switched off the bedside lamp, and then more motion as she lay down, drawing the blankets up over her body.

All was still for a very long time. Then, just as he was about to drop off, he heard her voice whisper, "Night, Rick."

"Good night, Kate," he whispered back. And then he slept.

Kate was an early riser by nature. She was the first at the precinct every morning no matter if she had paperwork or a case to work on. Rarely did she ever sleep in and it was something Castle had noticed during her stay at his loft after her apartment had been destroyed. So it was safe to say that the writer was somewhat surprised when he realized that he was awake before she was on their first day in Venice. It was also safe to say that he was more than surprised when he noticed that they were cuddled together in the middle of the bed instead of lying on separate sides like the night before.

There was a warm hand against his chest and Kate's hair tickled his skin but he was surrounded by the smell of cherries and the soft sound of her breathing. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't mind spending forever this way but if she woke up and found them like this Rick knew it would be the first and last time. Being as careful, and as quiet, as he could be Castle managed to slip out from under his partner without waking her up. He pulled on a pair of sweat pants before leaving their room and heading downstairs toward the scent of coffee.

His pride and joy was sitting on a stool in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in front of her face. Castle took the time to kiss the top of her head in greeting before he went to grab his own cup of caffeine to start his day. "Good morning, Pumpkin. Sleep well?"

Alexis smiled as she looked up at her father, using a finger to hold her place in the book. "I did, actually. How about you?"

It was a well-known fact that Castle had spent the last week having trouble sleeping as his ribs healed. Every twist and turn of his body in sleep usually forced him awake with a pain that he was not very fond of, but he was expecting it nonetheless. It would take three to four weeks for his ribs to be completely healed if he took enough care of himself. Of course, he had Alexis to see that he did. "Well enough. No twisting or turning to speak of." He took a few careful sips of his coffee before lowering the steaming cup again to study his child.

"So," he began, "what do you think you'd like to do today?"

Alexis shrugged, slipping a bookmark into her book before sitting back and studying her father in return. "I don't know. I was thinking we could go sightseeing. You know, get the lay of the land, find out where the good cafés and things are. Also, there's a market just up the street. You can see it from the balcony. So we can get some groceries."

"Fresh fruit and vegetables, just what we need," he replied, nodding. "And pasta."

"Oh, _yes_," Alexis agreed, grinning widely. "Lots and lots of pasta."

"Spaghetti," came Beckett's voice from the stairwell, floating down to join them and wearing an Italian accent. "Rigatoni, vermicelli, penne, tortellini." She came around the corner, combing her hair out with her fingers, and finished with a flourish: "Lasagne."

"Dad makes the _best_ lasagna ever," Alexis advised the detective as Castle pulled a third coffee mug out of the cabinet and poured her a cup. "It'll melt in your mouth."

"Ooh," Kate said as she slid onto a barstool. "I'm looking forward to that."

Castle grinned as he handed over her coffee cup. He leaned in close, his voice low and somewhat raspy still from sleep. "You will soon learn, Detective, that I am a man with many, many skills."

Of course, it was no surprise when Kate grabbed his ear and twisted hard enough that he almost spilled his coffee in his haste to say, "Apples, apples, apples!"

Alexis stayed off to the side, covering a smile as she finished off her coffee. They were just like an old married couple without the marriage or the couple part. Castle was still rubbing his ear when she deposited her cup into the sink and grabbed her book from the counter top. "I'll be ready in forty-five," she called over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner and toward the stairs.

His ear was still smarting, because damn did Kate have a grip, as he finished his own coffee and then washed out both mugs and set them aside to dry. He topped off the detective's cup with the last of the pot before also rinsing it out. "Give me fifteen minutes and then the bathroom is all yours," he offered with a toned down smile, waiting to see if she would accept his compromise.

"Sure," she replied easily, opening her book again.

Almost an hour later, Rick and Alexis were standing in the entryway, waiting for Kate. "Are you coming?" Alexis called up the stairs.

"Yes. Here I am. I just couldn't find my money belt." Kate appeared a moment later, tucking her top into her khaki shorts.

"Money belt?" Alexis and Rick asked together.

She cocked her head and looked back and forth at the two of them. "Deliver me from rich tourists," she moaned at the ceiling, then untucked her shirt enough to show them the zippered pouch she was wearing underneath it, strapped around her stomach. "You keep your identification and most of your money here," she explained. "You keep a few Euro accessible, and if you need more, you go into a changing room or bathroom to get what you need out. It keeps you from getting your pockets picked."

"I need to get one of those," Alexis declared.

"Yes, you do, because that purse is either going to be gone or empty before we get out of the market," Kate replied. "Leave it here. Only take what you absolutely need."

Alexis complied immediately, pulling money and identification out and leaving her purse in the coat closet. Kate took her identification and slipped it into the money belt, and Alexis tucked her cash into her bra. "Nobody's getting in there without me knowing about it," she said smugly.

Kate grinned. "Where do you think I keep mine?"

Castle looked down at his own well-formed but masculinely flat chest. "Well, boys," he said to it, "I guess we're out of luck."

With an exasperated sigh, and a smile that she was barely hiding, Kate held out her hand. "Hand it over, Castle, and I'll hold onto it." Castle was quick to slide his wallet from his back pocket and dig through it to find what he needed. There was cash and credit cards (with his new name but his Richard Castle money) and his own identification that he handed over. The empty wallet was discarded on a table top by the door as Kate tucked in her shirt once more.

"All right people, let's head out!" Castle ushered both women out the door and made sure to lock it behind them. It was still rather early but the streets of Venice were crowded with all kinds of people making their start of the day. Alexis held onto her father's arm while Castle reached down and took Kate's hand into his own. She glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow, but he only smiled in return and tugged her along.

Something caught his hand when he tugged, and he looked down in surprise. Kate never wore rings – but today she was. He drew her hand up to look at it. "Is that… it is, isn't it?"

She shrugged. "Yeah."

He studied her curiously. "Why?"

She moved closer to him, dropping her tone to answer. "Because if we're supposed to be married, it would look a little odd for me not to wear a wedding ring."

He blinked, his eyes dropping to her mother's wedding ring on her left hand again, and nodded. "You're exactly right. I hadn't thought of it." Suddenly he laughed. "I've got it. I've got it, Kate."

"Got what?" she asked him suspiciously.

"Our story. I've been looking for it since yesterday, but I have it now."

There was a long moment of silence as she studied his face, looking for something – she wasn't sure what. But his eyes were shining and Alexis looked intrigued, and for just that moment, she almost wished it was real. "All right," she said, feeling herself begin to smile. "Tell me our story."

He drew her closer to himself, wrapping an arm around her waist. "My name," he began, "is Richard Cunningham. Small-time journalist for the AP, never a byline of my own." He gave a long-suffering sigh, and she and Alexis both giggled. He continued. "You, my dear, are my long-suffering wife, formerly of the – where are we from? Right. Allentown, PA PD." He grinned at the vaguely rhyming quality of the letters.

"_Formerly_ of the PD?" she asked. "Why's that?"

"Because, my darling wife," he explained, and here he leaned in to plant a clownish smack to her cheek, "We won the Powerball lottery. You quit your job and we moved here so I could – wait for it," – he paused with a cheesy grin – "write that novel I've always been banging on about."

She couldn't help it. It was such a perfect cover story that she burst out laughing. "Oh, God, Rick, that's so _you_."

"I know, right? Isn't it great?" He grinned widely. "And my first order of business today is to buy you the ring you always deserved that I could never afford." He steered both of them across a street, to a shop window full of absolutely gorgeous jewelry. "I like that one in the middle. What do you think?"

"Rick, no." Kate tugged on his hand as she tried to get him away from the shop. She let him do enough as it was for her and she did not want him spending his money on a ring. It wasn't that real. "I don't need you to buy me a ring."

The look on his face fell, but only slightly. He already had a plan forming for later but he still had to offer some resistance or she would suspect. "Kate –"

She shook her head, giving him one of her looks. "No means no, Rick."

Sighing dramatically, he let her pull him away from the store right as Alexis looked over at her. "Can we go into that store?"

Kate smiled at the teenager and nodded, taking her hand and waving at him as they disappeared into the crowd. "Later!"

He smirked. She thought putting her foot down was going to get anywhere with him. And really, just to walk off like that and leave him standing there in front of the jewelry store? She'd obviously forgotten who she was dealing with. He turned and entered the store, grinning broadly at the man behind the counter. He spoke no Italian and the salesman spoke no English, but Rick had learned at an early age that money talked. He left the store with a smug sense of self-satisfaction, only to find her standing there when he came out, Alexis right behind her.

They were both carrying small bags, and Kate's arms were crossed over her chest. "What did I tell you?"

"You said you didn't need a ring."

"And?"

"And I didn't buy you a ring." He smirked. "Next question?"

"What did you do, Rick?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her, stepping forward into her personal space and leaning down to murmur in her ear. "You know, for someone who keeps insisting that she's not in a relationship with me, you're _terribly_ bossy." Then he straightened and turned to his daughter. "So, what did you find?"

Alexis was looking back and forth between the two of them, taking in Rick's cheeky grin and the brilliant red mix of fury and embarrassment on Kate's face. Her own eyes were wide with a combination of amusement and horror. "Some really cute boots," she said slowly, her eyes still flicking back and forth between the two of them.

"Is that all?" he asked, his eyes once again trained on Kate's face. She was staring right back, her arms still crossed over her chest. Alexis waited a moment before answering again. "Kate got a pair of running shoes and some boots. They're really nice."

Castle waited a beat before turning to smile at Alexis, pulling her against his side gently. He held out his hand for Kate, giving her one of his charming smiles. "How about a late lunch before we continue exploring?"

Alexis nodded her head at about the same time her stomach rumbled. "I could go for something like that," she agreed as she turned to look at Kate. "How about you?"

Kate held out a moment longer before taking his hand and smiling at the teen. "Sounds good."

He drew her in close, tucking her under his arm. "Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I could definitely eat some good pasta right now."

"I think we might be in the right place for that," Kate replied, grinning. She allowed her arm to wrap around his waist, and allowed herself – just for a second – to revel in the fact that it felt good.

It felt good to be tucked in close to Castle. It felt good to be wrapped under his arm, to feel him breathe, to hear his voice above her ear. It had felt good to wake up wrapped in his arms in the middle of the night, even though he'd been gone when she woke again in the morning. She looked up at him, at the smile on his face and the sparkle in his eye as he made some joke to Alexis, and just for that one second, she allowed herself to admit that it felt good just being with him, just knowing that he was there, knowing that he cared about her.

And in that second, she was lost.

Their late lunch was a quiet affair at a small restaurant they stumbled across. The food was excellent but the company was even better. Kate enjoyed herself more than she thought was possible as she watched Castle interact with Alexis. It was nice to see the father side of him displayed. They were just finishing a conversation about colleges when the check arrived. Rick was quick to pick it up, making sure to leave a tip before they left.

Castle tucked Kate against his side as soon as they were back out in the street. They hit a few more stores and he left Kate and Alexis to get lost in a bookstore while he went to pick up the groceries they needed.

Kate helped Alexis find some books she was already familiar with in English; armed with those and a background in French, she would have an easier time picking up enough Italian to start meeting people and making friends. She picked up a couple of new mystery novels for herself; Dennis Lehane's newest novel was out, and one of her favorite Kinsey Millhone books was sitting on the shelf nearby. She found Alexis sprawled in a comfortable chair in the store's reading area, a cappuccino near to hand, and raised an eyebrow. "Settling in?"

"I thought I'd sit and read for awhile," she explained. "Is that okay?"

"Sure," Kate replied. "We haven't gotten you a phone yet, though. Do you remember how to get back to the house?"

Alexis nodded. "Three blocks up and two over, just up from the Rialto Bridge."

"Okay. I'm gonna go find your dad." Kate gave the girl a parting smile, paid for her purchases, and left the store. She headed into the open-air market, her eyes alert for pickpockets and for Rick. She found him several stalls in, carrying a reusable shopping bag about half full of fresh fruits and vegetables. He was looking over a selection of pastas, the wizened little lady behind the boards chattering on at him in a stream of patter that went right over his head.

She slipped up beside him and wrapped one arm around his waist, leaning to peek into the bag. "Oh, those artichokes look delicious," she commented, smiling up at him.

He glanced down at her with a smile, making a snap decision. Castle dipped his head and brushed their lips together for a quick kiss. Kate barely managed to stop the surprise from registering on her face, but she tightened her arm around his waist.

Rick made a quick purchase of the pasta they needed before tugging his partner away from the booth. They both avoided talking about the kiss as they purchased a few more items from different booths. By the time they finished an hour had passed and they were heading back to their new home with plenty of bags.

"Alexis must not be home," he commented as he shut the door behind Kate. They had just deposited the bags on the kitchen counter when Kate rounded on him with her eyebrow raised.

"What was that?"

He raised an eyebrow back. "What was what?"

"You know perfectly well what."

He considered her for a long moment, then finally strode toward her. She backed up until she hit the counter but he still came forward, crowding into her personal space and making her air smell like him. With his left hand, he reached down and grasped hers, drawing them both up so that she could see them. She swallowed hard. Around the ring finger of his left hand was a white gold band, almost perfectly matched to her mother's ring. "First of all," he said, his voice low, "we are supposed to be married. It might seem a little odd if we _weren't_ affectionate. And second…" He paused, studying her face for a long moment, taking in her shortness of breath and huge eyes. "I'm done, Kate. I'm done pretending that I don't need you in my life; I'm done pretending that I don't want to hold you and kiss you and go to bed with you and wake up with you in my arms. I'm done pretending that you aren't someone I would die for or kill for. And I'm done waiting for you to stop pretending that you don't already know this. I missed my chance when you got together with Demming, and I missed my chance when you got together with Josh. I'm not missing another chance. I'm taking this one." And before she could say anything else, he leaned down and kissed her again.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey bro, got anything yet?" Esposito's voice carried across the otherwise empty precinct. Ryan shook his head, pushing away from his desk with a sigh. It was four in the morning, and they had been spending more early mornings at work than asleep.

Both men were coming to the conclusion that whoever they were up against was more than just average. They had combed Beckett's apartment and found nothing. They had gone over what little evidence was available from connecting cases and found nothing. Everything was a dead end no matter which way they turned.

"It's too quiet without them around," Ryan stated, not for the first time. Castle and Beckett were not even yet a week gone, but the change at the precinct was too noticeable. Both men were hoping to have the pair back sooner rather than later.

Sighing, Esposito shut down his computer and got up. They were useless if they were exhausted. "Come on, bro. Time for some shut eye before our shift."

Agreeing with a nod, Ryan got up from his desk and grabbed his jacket. He was more than ready to get back to Jenny and he had a feeling that his partner was ready to get back to their ME. "We gotta find something sooner or later," he said as they entered the elevator. "Right?"

"Yeah," Esposito said. "Right."

Both men were back at the precinct by nine, tired and irritable but functional. Their latest case was coming together fairly easily – a husband who'd taken out a multi-million-dollar life insurance policy on his wife three weeks before she "accidentally" drowned in the bathtub wasn't hard to spot – when Esposito's cell phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, then flipped it open. "_Hola, chica_," he greeted his girlfriend, but she cut him off quickly.

"Have you got the news on up there?"

"No, why?" he asked, gesturing for Ryan to hand him the television remote.

"Turn it on," she said. "There's been some craziness go down at the courthouse."

He flipped the news on, watching as the news cameras recorded chaos on the scene; both he and Ryan came to their feet when they heard what the reporter was saying. "…escaped prisoner's name is given as Harold Lockwood," she was reporting, just as Lockwood's mug shot was flashed on the screen. "Lockwood is reported to be armed and extremely dangerous; police advise that if you see him, do not approach, but call 9-1-1 immediately."

They stared at each other in shock. "What the _hell_?" Ryan exclaimed.

"I don't know," Esposito replied, "but we need to find out. Quick."

* * *

><p>Castle shifted, groaning as he twisted his ribs in an uncomfortable way. He took a few short breaths before opening his eyes and glancing at the time. It was ten in the morning, still early considering their late night with the case files. They had finally arrived the day before in a shipment that purported to be from IKEA, and he and Kate had immediately begun looking through them, trying to find anything they possibly could. There was nothing yet, but they'd be diving back into it today, and he was trying to remain confident that they'd find something. In the meantime, there was the matter of Kate herself, who was just waking up as well, probably in response to his own noise.<p>

She shifted up onto her elbow, pushing her hair out of her face, and examined him. "You okay?"

He nodded, rolling onto his back. "Just stiff," he explained, rubbing at his face with one hand. "I'll be really glad when my ribs stop hurting."

"Poor baby." She patted his chest gently. "You should be fine in another week or so."

"I hope so," he replied, taking her wrist and pulling her to him. "It's gotten old."

In the last week, since his declaration of intent, Kate had been taught quite thoroughly what it meant to be on the receiving end of Rick Castle's determined courtship. She'd thought he'd been chasing her when he first started following her around; that was _nothing_ compared to how he acted now. He was touching her constantly, from simple gestures like a caress of her shoulder to more daring kisses of her cheek, her forehead, even the side of her neck. He cuddled close at night, his arm wrapped around her waist, and in the morning he liked to lay together with her head on his shoulder as they prepared to face the day. He constantly used words of affection and terms of endearment – though so far he had avoided the dreaded "L" word.

And Kate had discovered, much to her chagrin, that she _liked _it. She liked to have him touch her, hold her, speak to her with such affection. She liked lying in bed at night and drifting off to sleep held tightly in his arms. She liked all of it.

They hadn't made love – neither one of them was really ready for that – but there was little doubt in her mind that they would, and it wouldn't be long.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked again when he became quiet after pulling her close. The boxes full of case files had been heavy the day before and Castle had insisted on being allowed to help carry some of them in. After dinner they had spent most of the night and some of the early morning hours staring over files until their eyes hurt and they were both exhausted. She was still just a little tired but it was nothing to complain about. She'd gotten by on much less while living in New York.

Kate was jolted from her thoughts when Castle shifted them, tugging until she was almost lying on top of his chest. She resisted, not because she didn't want to be there, but because she didn't want to put the pressure on his still healing bones. "Rick –"

"I'm good, Kate." His response was followed by a kiss to the top of her head as his arms tightened around her. It was nice to be able to lay with him like this but the noise downstairs alerted her that Alexis was finally up and about.

"We should get up, Rick."

"Mmm. We should." He sighed, dropping another kiss onto the top of her head. "But who wants to?"

She chuckled. "Tell you what," she said, reaching up to trace a line down the center of his chest with one fingernail. "You let me up so I can go get a shower, and I'll take you to breakfast at that little café across the bridge that you like."

"Hmm." He considered the idea. "I _suppose_ concessions could be made for cappuccino and brioche." His grip on her loosened, and she started to rise, only to yelp in surprise when he pulled her back down again at an angle, so that she was sprawled across his body.

"Rick!"

He grinned, buried both hands in her hair, and pulled her head down, kissing her thoroughly. She couldn't help the soft moan that escaped her throat as she kissed him back just as enthusiastically. When he finally released her, they were both panting, and his eyes had gone dark with desire. "Go get your shower," he said softly, giving her a gentle push backward.

She didn't want to. She moved forward to kiss him again, but he stopped her with his hands on her shoulders, leaning up to kiss her forehead instead. "Go get your shower," he repeated, "or I swear to you, we will not leave this room today. And neither of us is ready for that."

She swallowed hard, her tongue snaking out to wet her bottom lip and tasting him there still, and then she nodded. She crawled backward off the bed, stood there studying him for a moment, and then, with the sexiest grin he'd ever seen her wear, she tossed her hair back and strode into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Castle waited a few minutes before getting out of bed himself, taking it slow. He pulled on a regular t-shirt and jeans before heading downstairs to the smell of coffee. Alexis was almost finished with her own cup as she read at the counter with a muffin. "Hey, Pumpkin."

He kissed the top of her head on his way by and she put her book down with a smile. She loved seeing her father so happy and she knew that she had Detective Beckett to thank for that. "Good morning, Dad."

He refrained from pouring his own coffee, looking forward to his date at the café with Kate. Instead, he leaned against the counter and looked over his daughter's reading material with a light smile. She was doing her best to learn Italian with Kate's help and she was improving.

Alexis glanced up at her Dad and her smile faded somewhat when she noticed a few more lines on his face than before. They didn't want her going over the case files but she knew they had stayed up late. "Hey, Dad –"

"Ready to go, Rick?" Kate came down the stairs in a white shirt and jeans, smiling at the two occupants in the kitchen.

"Almost." He turned his attention back to Alexis. "Hey, what?"

She shook her head. "When you get back. Café Antico?"

He nodded as Kate came up and gave the girl a one-armed hug from the side. "Want to come with?" Kate asked.

Alexis shook her head, gesturing to her muffin. "That's, like, my third. They're delicious and I'm going to eat them all."

Kate grinned. "I'll make more," she promised. Then she looked up at Rick. "Mmm?"

He nodded. "We'll be back, Sweetheart," he said, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "And we have our new phones, so call if you need anything."

Alexis, already reabsorbed in her book, merely nodded as they left.

Castle wrapped an arm around Kate as they left the house, content. It was a beautiful day to be out and about around the city. He knew that their days would be filled with looking at files but he had other plans for them as well.

"So is this a date, Detective?" he asked in a low voice as he leaned in toward her, raising an eyebrow as he looked over at her. A light blush tinged her cheeks as she looked away, socking him lightly with her elbow.

"Married couples do not date, Rick."

The grin on his face made her smile as they continued to walk. "Of course they do, Kate."

She socked him again, playfully. "If you think I'm letting you get into some kind of Date Night routine where you only pay attention to me on alternate Thursdays _if_ you're not writing…"

"I would never – !" he began, looking down at her, and then he realized that she was teasing him. "Oh, I see." With a sudden twist, he was behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist, and he leaned down to monster the side of her neck.

She shrieked in surprise and laughter, startling a nearby pigeon and making several passersby pause and then chuckle. "You jerk!" she exclaimed, wriggling out of his grip. She reached up and rubbed at the side of her neck to rid herself of the residual shudders.

He, on the other hand, was staring like all his Christmases had come at once. "Oh," he breathed softly. "You're ticklish."

"No." her voice was stern as she backed away from him. The look on his face clued her in to exactly what he was thinking. For every step she took back he took two steps forward. The glint in his eyes had shivers running up and down her spine.

"Rick –" her warning was cut off when he made his move and she turned fast to avoid him. They were running down the street like children but she felt carefree as he chased her through the crowd.

The couple only stopped when Castle started breathing too heavily for his ribs to handle. They stopped at the bridge, Kate laughing as she tried to breathe and Rick looking a little worse for wear as he held his ribs with a tight smile. "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea," he said with a light chuckle.

"That'll teach you a lesson," she replied, coming to him and rubbing gently at his side. "You okay?"

"Will be in a bit," he replied. "Think I need to sit down, though."

"Come on, the café's just over here." She hooked his arm over her shoulder, gently helping to support him, and they made their way another half a block to the café, where she helped him sit at a table on the sidewalk before sitting herself. "Sure you're all right?"

He nodded. "I'm sure." Then he grinned at her. "But once my ribs are healed, don't think you're getting away that easily again."

She rolled her eyes. "Promises, promises." She stood again and went inside to order their food, returning with two cappuccinos and two large brioches. "Breakfast as promised," she said, grinning.

"A woman after my own heart," he declared, winked at her, and snagged one of the pastries.

Kate rolled her eyes before taking a seat across from him, biting into her own pastry. The next few minutes passed in silence as they both ate their breakfast and savored their coffee. Castle enjoyed people watching, making up stories for them as they passed by. Kate observed him, watching the way his breathing evened out after awhile.

"See something you like?" he asked after finishing the last of his coffee. She smiled and looked away, hiding behind her coffee cup.

"Not really," she replied after a moment.

He grinned, leaning toward her. "You're a terrible liar." Then he tugged on a lock of her hair. "Come on, Kate, let's go wandering."

She shook her head. "We need to get back to the house and get back into all that paperwork."

"We will," he promised her. "But it's a beautiful day, and I'd like to spend a little of it with you, out here, before we lock ourselves up again. Okay?"

She studied him, taking in the naked sincerity on his face, and finally nodded. "All right," she said, glancing at her watch. "But we head back by one. Deal?"

He nodded. "Deal." He took her hand, pulling her close as they stepped out into the flow of pedestrian traffic. "I want to see the Palazzo San Marco."

She smiled. "You'll love it. It's beautiful."

"I've seen it in movies and pictures," he said. "But I've never been to Venice before."

"So many things for us to see before we leave," she murmured. "I hope we'll have the time."

"We'll make the time," he promised, leaning down to kiss her temple. "I'm not wasting another minute with you."

Their morning out was carefree and enjoyable. Castle always kept Kate close with the pretense of not getting separated in the crowd, but it was really because he loved touching her. He loved being near her no matter what they were doing.

That was why he kept her tucked under his arm even after they entered the house with a late lunch. "Alexis! Lunch!" He deposited the food in the counter, looking around for his daughter. His brow furrowed in confusion when she didn't answer back.

"Alexis?" He paused, looking around. "I wonder if she fell asleep."

Kate crossed the second floor and opened the door to Alexis's room just a crack, peeking in, before with drawing and closing it just as quietly. "She did," she said, stepping away from the door. "She's conked out with her headphones on and a stuffed monkey."

Rick grinned widely. "That would be Monkey Bunkie. I may have mentioned her to you."

Kate smiled. "You did." She pulled two plates out of the cupboard and Castle served up pasta for both of them, then put the remainder in the refrigerator for later. Kate grabbed her plate and a bottle of wine while he got his plate and two glasses, and the two of them headed upstairs to their room, where the files they were looking for were spread across the bureau and the small table.

Castle poured both glasses of wine before he picked up a file and his fork. He munched away at the pasta, taking an occasional drink from his wine glass while he looked over whatever page he was on. Kate was doing the same just a few feet away and their late lunch was a somewhat quiet affair.

After about two hours of looking, and accidentally making a ring on one of the files with the wine bottle, Castle noticed something. He picked up the file with the ring and compared it to another one.

"Kate, do you know who Napolitano is? His name is on a few of these as the assisting officer."

"Yeah, he worked with Raglan for awhile. But he was at a wedding when Arman was shot, so he's not our third cop."

"Where is he now?" Castle asked, his face serious.

"He's dead. Died in '93. Why?"

He leaned over the table and showed her the sheet. "He and Raglan are listed as arresting officers on this report, but it's been altered. Look. Older typewriters use cloth ribbon, so there are tiny striations in the typeface. But newer typewriters use film ribbon, which makes the letters smooth. Someone's changed this report."

"Oh, my God, that's amazing, Castle. I never would have seen that." She studied the paper for a long moment, then leaned forward and kissed him hard. "Let's see if we can find any more. Look specifically for Napolitano's name." She was reaching for the box of folders when the secure phone given to them by Jordan Shaw rang.

Castle looked at Kate before he reached over, answering the phone. "Rick." he answered in an even tone, balancing the phone between his shoulder and cheek as he searched through some files.

"Is she around?" Jordan asked, staring at the papers in front of her as Agent Avery moved at her side.

Castle glanced over at Kate before turning back to the file in front of him. "She is. I'll put you on speaker."

There was a quick pause on the phone before Agent Shaw dived in. "Harold Lockwood was moved out of solitary and into the general prison population at Riker's yesterday. One of the guards was bribed. He murdered another prisoner – Gary McCallister – about twenty minutes after being moved into the general population. During his arraignment this morning he escaped. He had assistance."

"He what?" Rick exploded without warning, dropping the files he had in his hand. "You can't be serious."

"Afraid so. The NYPD is on a manhunt. Your boys have already checked in-"

"Give them a message," Beckett interrupted. "Napolitano. Tell Ryan and Esposito to dig up what they can on the name. We found one altered file; there may be more." She searched through and gave Shaw the dates before they said their goodbyes, both eager to continue their work.

Castle studied Beckett's face for a long moment. "I'm sorry," he finally said softly.

She blinked at him, coming back from whatever thoughts she'd been lost in. "What? Why?"

"McCallister. Because it seems like every time we find a lead, we get cut off."

She smiled slightly. "No, Rick. Not at all. Here's the thing. Before we left, I was going out to Riker's every week to have a staring contest with the devil." Her smile turned into a smirk. "And the devil just blinked."

Castle was silent for a long moment, digesting that statement, and then he nodded. "Right," he said. "Let's see what else we can find in here."

* * *

><p>It was dark in his study when Roy Montgomery entered. He shrugged his jacket off, tossing it over the back of a chair, and flicked a light on. Then he considered turning it off again; he didn't belong in the light. After what he'd done – what he'd done to <em>Beckett<em> – he deserved only the dark. He sighed heavily, running a hand across his head.

"Hello, Roy."

He turned in shock to find himself confronted by none other than Hal Lockwood. He started to move for his gun, but Lockwood showed his, and Montgomery froze, uncertain. "You're not that fast. Besides, they're all upstairs, safe and sound," Lockwood said, and it was then that Montgomery realized the killer was holding his daughter's teddy bear. "And as long as they stay asleep, Roy, they're not on tonight's menu."

"What do you want?" Montgomery demanded.

"He's very disappointed, Roy. We all are. Did you not understand the conditions of the agreement? Beckett stays alive as long as you keep her on a leash. That's the deal you made with him. But you're not holding up your end, and that's unfortunate, because she really is a lovely girl. But now we've reached a critical stage, and I have to cap the well. So here's what's going to happen." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "You're going to arrange for Beckett to be at this address tomorrow night. I don't care what you have to do to get her there. Just do it. And we'll handle the rest."

"Go to hell."

"I don't think you understand the situation here, Roy." Lockwood stepped forward, tucking the paper into Montgomery's breast pocket. "You have a choice. Beckett, or your family. It's really up to you."

"No, _you_ don't understand the situation," Montgomery replied. "Beckett's gone."

Lockwood shook his head. "Roy, if she was dead, we'd have been informed."

"I didn't say dead," Montgomery replied. "I said _gone_. She disappeared two days after someone beat the hell out of Richard Castle in her apartment. She's gone."

"Get her back here," Lockwood began, but Montgomery shook his head.

"I'm telling you, I can't. I don't even know where she is."

"Castle knows," Lockwood replied. "As close as the two of them are?"

Montgomery shrugged. "I don't know whether he does or not," he said flatly. "He's gone, too."

* * *

><p><em>We appreciate any and all feedback.<em>


	5. Chapter 5

Alexis yawned, rubbing her eyes as she tiptoed toward the kitchen. It was too early to be awake but she needed something to drink. She rounded the corner in a daze, almost letting out a scream when she noticed someone at the counter. "Dad? What are you doing up so late?"

Castle turned to look at his daughter, confusion knotting his brow. "I could ask you the same thing." It was late, or early depending on how you looked at it, but he couldn't sleep.

She waited a moment before stepping into the kitchen and the dim lighting. "I needed something to drink. You still didn't answer my question..." Alexis walked around her father, pausing when she noticed a few files laying out in front of him.

"... I want to solve this for her." his voice was quiet and it broke her heart just a little. Alexis stepped closer, wrapping an arm around his waist and laying her head on his shoulder.

"You will, Dad... but not like this. You're tired."

Rick sighed, giving her his glass of water as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Go to bed, sweetie. I'll go soon."

Alexis hesitated, but in the end she kissed her father goodnight and headed back to bed with her glass of water.

He rubbed at his forehead, staring at the words on the page, but they were blurring in front of his eyes. She was right; he needed sleep. But there were so many thoughts chasing themselves around in his head that he wasn't sure he could. He finally sighed and closed the file, putting his own cup in the sink before padding back upstairs quietly.

Kate was asleep in the middle of their bed, curled around a pillow. He had made her go to bed hours earlier; they'd both been exhausted then, and he'd used all the logical arguments against her that Alexis had used against him. They'd climbed into the bed together and he had rubbed her back until she fell asleep, then gotten up to continue working himself.

She'd probably yell at him for that in the morning, but that was okay. Yelling at him gave her an outlet for her frustration, and helped her focus more when she was looking at the files.

He used the bathroom before sliding back into the bed as carefully as possible. He still jarred her slightly as he moved; he was still stiff enough that he lacked the finesse he usually had. She raised her head, blinking sleepily at him. "Rick?"

"Shh," he murmured, leaning to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I just had to go to the bathroom. It isn't time to get up yet."

Kate shifted, rolling into Castle's body on instinct. He pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. The rhythmic sound of her breathing was the thing that lulled him to sleep.

The next morning Castle woke up alone. The sheets on Kate's side of the bed were cool to the touch, a testament to how long she had been awake. His body was horribly stiff as he lay there and he closed his eyes, unwilling to get up just yet even though he could hear his daughter and Kate downstairs.

He'd only been awake a few minutes when he heard Kate's step on the staircase, and he opened his eyes again as she entered the room. She shook her head at him. "Rough night?"

He raised an eyebrow, then sighed. "Alexis tattled on me."

"She did. Said she came out for a drink of water about four a.m. and you were still sitting up looking at files. So what's that about, Mr. We'll-Accomplish-More-If-We're-Well-Rested?"

He sighed. "I couldn't sleep." He struggled into a sitting position, gritting his teeth against the stiffness and the soreness, and she came to him, helpfully tucking the pillows up behind him. He reached up and cupped her cheek with one hand. "I want to solve this for you, Kate," he said, his voice soft. "I feel responsible, and I want to make it right."

She blinked in obvious surprise and confusion. "Responsible? How could you be responsible for this?"

"Because I'm the one that reopened the case," he admitted. "You'd let it go. You'd put it behind you. But I had to go shoving in where I wasn't wanted, deliberately against your wishes, and –"

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his briefly. When she sat back, she was grinning. "I have discovered the most effective way of shutting up Rick Castle." Then she laid her hand on top of his on her cheek. "Rick… Look. Was I angry when you told me you'd been digging? Yes. I was furious. But this is not all your fault. Okay? It's the fault of Raglan and McCallister and whoever their third partner was. It's the fault of Coonan and whoever paid him to kill my mom. It's those people's fault. But it's not your fault. Have you been a catalyst for some of what's happened? Yes. Does that make you responsible for anything other than your own actions? No. I don't blame you, and I don't want you blaming yourself. Okay?"

He studied her face for a long moment and found nothing there but sincerity, and he finally nodded. "Okay."

"Okay," she echoed, and then smiled. "Now come on. Let's get you up and into a hot shower; it'll help the stiffness. And next time you decide to sit up all night, do it someplace more comfortable than the barstools, okay? I'm surprised you're not a pretzel."

His free arm wrapped against her waist, pulling her down against him. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, smiling into her hair. "How long have you been awake?"

Kate rested against him, taking care to be gentle with his ribs. She kissed his chest before looking up at him. "Only for a couple of hours. You looked peaceful so I left you." She had felt even better about leaving him after Alexis filled her in on the night before. She pulled out of his embrace after a few minutes, giving him a kiss as she sat up.

"Take a shower and I'll meet you downstairs."

Castle reached out for Kate only to have her disappear out the door with a cheeky grin. Chuckling, he heaved himself to his feet and made his way into the bathroom for a shower.

Half an hour or so later, feeling much more human, he came downstairs. Kate raised an eyebrow at him when she realized that he was fully dressed in jeans and a casually untucked button-down shirt. "You wrapped yourself?"

He shook his head. "I felt really good when I got out of the shower," he explained as Alexis crossed her arms and looked at him severely. "And I thought about what the doctor said, about how the compression wraps can increase the risk of pneumonia because it restricts your breathing. I figured as long as I'm careful about how I sit and I don't try to pick up anything terribly heavy, I should be all right without them."

Kate and Alexis exchanged a long glance, then turned back to him. "All right," Alexis finally said. "But if you feel so much as a twinge, Dad, you have to let us know. Okay?"

"I promise, Strawberry," he replied, coming around to drop a kiss on top of her head before helping himself to a cup of coffee and one of the delicious poppy-seed muffins that Kate kept baking. "Trust me, the last thing I want to do is re-injure myself." He took a bite of his muffin. "I don't know if I've said this before, Kate, but these are really delicious."

She smiled slightly; he'd said that every time he ate one. "I'm glad you like them," she said, as she always did.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Alexis inquired.

"I was thinking a boat ride," he mentioned after finishing his muffin. Alexis smiled wide while Kate raised an eyebrow at him. Castle leaned against the counter, crossing his arms gently over his chest. "Come now, Detective. It can't be all work and no play."

Kate looked between father and daughter before throwing her arms in the air with an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. Boat ride it is." She was only slightly thrown off balance when the teenager hugged her before running to her room. Castle chuckled softly, their eyes meeting across the counter.

He opened his arms as she walked too him. Rick pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "We won't be out long, I promise," he whispered softly. Kate looked up at him, a smile on her face.

"I wouldn't have agreed if I didn't want to go, Rick."

He smiled down at her, leaning in for a kiss just as Alexis came around the corner. "Ready – oh, sorry!" Alexis's hands covered her mouth and she turned, darting back into her room.

Kate looked concerned. When Rick leaned back down for their abortive kiss, she leaned away from him. "Rick, is she..."

"Is she what?" he asked, then suddenly realized what Kate meant. "Oh! Is she hiding in her room again because she doesn't want to see this or something? No." He reached out and chucked her under the chin. "She's giving us privacy. Trust me, Kate, Alexis is over the moon about us getting together."

Kate studied him. "Did she tell you that?"

"She didn't have to," he replied. "She idolizes you; she has since she first got to know you. Why do you think she called you for advice about the exchange program? Trust me on this one, Kate." He leaned in to kiss her and this time she allowed it, but she made up her own mind to speak with Alexis privately at the first opportunity.

When he released her, he strolled over to Alexis's door and tapped, then stuck his head inside. "Ready to go, Pumpkin?"

Alexis opened the door with a light blush and a smile. "Only if you are."

He chuckled, nodding his head as they got Kate and then headed out for the afternoon. As he led them in a specific direction, it became apparent that he had everything planned out for the trip. The walk wasn't long and soon Castle was greeting a man with his sparse Italian.

The man smiled, stepping aside to let them on the gondola. Alexis was thrilled, chattering away as she stepped onto the boat and took a seat. Castle followed close after, turning and holding out his hand to assist Kate.

After they were all seated the man smiled, maneuvering his vessel into the middle of the canal with finesse. Castle tugged Kate close, smiling over at Alexis. "He was even nice enough to offer lunch."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Lunch?"

Castle nodded. "We're not just touring – we have an actual destination. Not that I can pronounce it. But there'll be lunch there, and then we'll come back."

"Rick," she murmured, "I know what standard gondola rides go for. How much are you paying this guy?"

He chuckled again. "Enough that the food had better be damn good," he admitted.

Kate pinched the bridge of her nose, then looked across the gondola at Alexis. "And you let him do this?"

Alexis grinned back unrepentantly. "The lunch part was my idea. You'll like it, Kate – it's _very_ romantic."

"Our first family lunch date," he confirmed with a smile. Castle could never be happy enough with the fact that Alexis adored Kate. It also helped that Kate felt the same way about his daughter. They really had been a small family unit, even before everything changed.

Kate groaned softly, covering her face with her hand. "What did I agree to?"

Both Castles laughed, Alexis patting her knee while Castle patted her back. The gondolier smiled at them as he steered the boat. The rest of their trip was spent talking about the places or people they saw from the water. Castle wove stories and both women were captivated by his every word.

All three stomachs were growling when the gondola was tied and they climbed off. Their lunch was at a small place, already ordered and waiting for them as they took their seats at an outside table. As Alexis had promised, it _was_ quite romantic; deep in the Cannareggio district and off the tourist path, the place felt like a little piece of sixteenth-century Italy. The food was amazing, and she was forced to admit when Rick asked that it was actually deeply enjoyable.

He leaned over and kissed her lips gently as he helped her back into the gondola, not caring that Alexis was sitting right there. "I'm so glad you enjoyed it," he murmured into her ear.

She felt herself blush bright red, and Alexis giggled at her while she found her seat. To cover her embarrassment, she said, "Okay, now that we've had our playtime, Rick, we _have_ to get back to work when we get home."

"Of course," he replied, draping an arm around her shoulders. "That was always the plan."

"I really don't believe you," was her response as she leaned against his side. Kate didn't know whether or not she was waiting for another call from Agent Shaw because of what a single call could mean. She felt out of the loop here in Venice, even though she enjoyed the time with Castle and Alexis.

She enjoyed being here but a part of her missed the precinct. She missed Lanie and the boys and her murder board. Kate was jolted from her thoughts whenever Castle tugged her closer, rambling about some of the architecture with a smile. She smiled back, letting herself get lost in the sound of his voice.

Alexis was the first to make it to their home, opening the door and rushing inside. She was intent on heading for her room to read but she paused, a soft gasp of surprise escaping. Kate rushed in behind her, stopping when she noticed what had caught the teen's eye.

Castle himself was the last one in but he had a smile as he stared at the whiteboard. "See, Kate?" he asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "And you didn't believe me when I said the plan was to come back and hit the books."

She turned in his arms and kissed his cheek. "Only because I know you so well."

He stared into her eyes, his face still and uncharacteristically serious, and she felt the teasing smile slip off her face as his sobriety infected her. When he saw that he had her full attention, he said, "I told you, Kate. I want to solve this one for _you_. This isn't just any case to me." He paused, studying her for a long moment, and then finished with, "But I think you already knew that."

She swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry and her eyes wet. "I did," she admitted, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I didn't mean to doubt you."

He smiled then, very slightly. "I know." He leaned down and brushed her lips with his, then straightened. "Alexis, want to help me get this thing upstairs? I told them third floor, but –"

"No you don't, Buster," Kate interrupted. "Alexis can help _me_ get it upstairs, but you and your ribs aren't touching that thing."

Castle frowned, looking between them. "It's not that heavy." The looks Alexis and Kate gave him made him shut up quickly. Instead, he watched and gave verbal instructions while they ignored him and tugged the white board upstairs.

Fifteen long minutes later it was safely in their room and Alexis was heading back downstairs for a nap. Rick wrapped his arms around Kate, kissing her neck and shoulder lightly. "I won't break," he whispered softly.

He meant more than his ribs and it was obvious. She leaned back against his body, closing her eyes. Kate would worry about him no matter what. She always had. He was her friend first and her partner... and now he was... she wasn't really sure. They hadn't labeled it. "I might," she finally admitted, her own voice soft.

He made an interrogatory noise in his throat and she turned to face him, taking a deep breath. It appeared they were going to finally have this conversation. She studied his buttons for a long moment, choosing her words carefully, and then she looked up into his face. "I told you once that I'm a one-and-done kind of girl," she said softly. "And Rick… I could easily, _easily_ see that one-and-done being you." She swallowed hard. "But if I go there with you – if I _let myself_ go there with you – and it doesn't work out… it might break me, Rick. In ways that I'm not sure could be fixed."

He cupped her cheek with his hand. "Kate," he said softly, "I'm not perfect. You already know that. I'm not a Prince Charming, or a knight in shining armor. I'm dented. I'll make mistakes, and I'll do stupid things that hurt you. I already know this, because I've already done it, and there are times when I'm not intelligent enough to realize I'm barreling headlong down a path that only leads to trouble." His thumb stroked her skin, wiping away a tear that she hadn't realize had escaped. "I can't promise not to do those things, and if I did promise, you'd know I was lying."

She smiled slightly against her will and nodded, acknowledging the truth of his words.

"But Kate," he said, his voice still gentle, "there are some promises I _can_ make. I can promise you that I will never cheat on you. I will never physically hurt you – as if I could." They both chuckled, and he continued. "I can also promise that when I _do_ do something stupid that hurts you, I will also do everything in my power to make it up to you. And Kate… I can swear to you on my life that if you give me a chance… I will make sure that no matter what happens, you will never, _ever_ doubt my love for you."

"... Say it." Her voice was soft as she looked into his blue eyes. Her fingers played with the front of his shirt as she stood there, waiting. They had been open with each other before, but never like this. The gentle smile on his face warmed her heart.

"I love you, Katherine Beckett." His voice was quiet but filled with all of the affection he held for her. Castle was sure that he had loved before, but none of them would ever compare to the woman in his arms. "I love you," he whispered again, leaning down to kiss her lips.

Kate returned the kiss with everything she had, her hands moving to tangle in his hair. Castle tugged her close, his arms wrapping around her waist as his hands slid beneath her shirt to touch her warm skin. They both pulled away when the need for air became too much, panting as they smiled at each other. The moment Kate was able to breathe normally, she said it.

"I love you too, Richard Castle."

* * *

><p>The message was delivered to Lanie in a bouquet of flowers. She received them from an uptown florist around two in the afternoon and immediately squealed over how beautiful they were. After finding the right place on the counter to display them – out of the way but still visible from every corner of the room – she opened the envelope, expecting to find some Spanish endearment from Javier.<p>

Instead, the card read "Shaw 8pm Club Vitale Reheat."

Lanie slipped the card into her pocket to dispose of later, picked up her cell phone and dialed her boyfriend. "Hey, baby," she said when he answered.

"Hey, Lanie," he replied. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just got the flowers you sent; they're absolutely gorgeous. Are we still on for tonight?"

There was a long pause during which she heard him almost say _I didn't send you flowers _before he finally spoke. "Sure thing, babe," he said casually. "You decide where you want to go?"

"Yeah. I wanna go dancing. That new place on 45th, Club Vitale? I keep hearing it's amazing."

"Sounds like a plan," he replied. "Pick you up at…" He paused. "Seven?"

"Sounds perfect," she replied. "See you later."

She spent the rest of the day with a knot in her stomach, but at seven p.m. he was buzzing her door. She thumbed the speaker. "On my way down." Then she slipped her shoes on, grabbed her bag, and stepped out into the hallway, locking the door behind her before heading for the elevator.

Esposito was waiting out on the street for her, his eyes flickering around at every small movement. He was being cautious even though he knew it was stupid. He was starting to wonder if Lanie had managed to get lost on her way down when the front doors opened and she came out in a dress that had him forgetting all about the real reason they were going out. Instead, he gave her one of his seductive grins and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"You look especially hot tonight," he whispered with a smile, his eyes lighting up at the way her cheeks turned slightly pink before she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You better believe it," she replied with so much confidence that he laughed softly, leaning down to give her another kiss before escorting her to his car. They spent the relatively short ride talking shop, mostly about their latest case, before he pulled into one of the few open parking spaces near the club. The music was loud before they were even inside and he pulled her close as they headed toward the bar. Esposito yelled out their drink orders while Lanie looked around until she found Agent Shaw sitting in a corner with Agent Avery at her side.

They looked very much the couple, even though the medical examiner knew they were not. She waved at them like old friends, then turned away and whispered into Esposito's ear. He grinned down at her, grabbing their drinks before making their way through the crowd to the nearly secluded table. "Jason, my man! How's it going, bro?" He clasped hands with Agent Avery while Lanie moved in to give Shaw a friendly hug.

"Jordan, how are you?"

"It's so good to see you," Shaw greeted them as they sat down. They chatted idly for a few minutes until Shaw and Avery were sure no one was eavesdropping. Then Shaw leaned across the table. "Beckett and Castle found some altered arrest records. They have Raglan's name on them, but the name of the assisting officer has been changed to Napolitano. Castle seems to think the change would have been fairly recent; sometime between Arman's murder and the time the records went digital."

"That's over ten years," Esposito pointed out. "Thousands of officers."

Shaw nodded. "But only a few who were manning the records room, right? And whoever altered the records would have had to physically go and get them."

Esposito nodded. "So we need to find out who that was. Maybe he remembers doing somebody a favor, looking the other way." He nodded. "Yeah, we got this."

Shaw nodded in return. "Let's meet again on Saturday to discuss your progress," she said.

Esposito nodded. "How about the movie theater on West Forty-Third? We can catch the matinee like a big group thing. We'll have Ryan bring Jenny."

"Perfect. We'll see you Saturday."

Esposito grabbed Lanie's hand. "Come on," he said. "Let's dance." They left the table and joined the crowd on the dance floor. A few minutes later, when Lanie glanced in the direction of that corner again, Shaw and Avery were gone.

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><p><em>We appreciate any and all feedback.<em>


	6. Chapter 6

"Rick...?" Kate's voice was soft as she rolled over, reaching for him. Something had pulled her awake, but she wasn't sure what. Her hand fell on cool sheets and she shifted, opening her eyes to a dark room. The silence around her made it obvious that she was alone.

Her footsteps were light on the stairs as she continued her search. She found Castle downstairs on the couch with his shirt off, his fingers fumbling as he tried to wrap his own injury. His face was somewhat pale in the dim lighting and her face clouded over with worry.

She came to his side, taking the bandage from him with gentle hands. "What happened?" she asked, her voice quiet to avoid disturbing Alexis.

He started to shrug, winced, and stopped. "I had a nightmare," he admitted. "And I sat straight up in bed and... I don't know, I feel like I pulled it or something."

"Did you hear it pop?" she asked, running her fingers down his rib cage in search of the injury.

He sucked in a breath when she found it, but as far as she could tell, it didn't appear to have separated. "No," he said. "I think it's just strained or something."

She nodded, reaching around him to wrap the bandages. "We'll leave these on today, then, and see how you feel tonight."

"Sounds like a good plan." He kept his arms raised while she secured the wrappings, then lowered his hands to her shoulders. "Thank you," he said softly, pulling her to him and kissing her gently.

She smiled into his kiss. "You're welcome. Come back to bed? It's late."

"Or early, depending on your perspective." He let her help him to his feet and followed her back up the stairs. They slipped under the covers together and he held out his hand, inviting her to cuddle up next to him with her head on his shoulder. They were quiet for a long time, simply being together, and she had almost fallen asleep when his voice rumbled under her ear. "There's nothing else we can do, is there?" he said. "Until we hear from Jordan again, I mean."

She took a deep breath. "No, not really. We've done everything we can in the files. There's nothing else there."

"We've come a long way in a short time," he whispered softly as his fingers trailed up and down her spine. The last year had been crazy for the both of them: from being stuck in a freezer to almost being blown up, and that wasn't even counting his close call with the Triple Killer or their arrest of Lockwood.

He had wanted her for a long time, even more so after their kiss, and now she was his. Kate Beckett was his and he had never been happier. He shifted when he felt uncomfortable, holding her close as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"We have... but it took us a long time to get here," she replied in quiet tones that brought him away from his thoughts. He smiled though, glad to have her with him. Castle had always felt grateful to have such an extraordinary woman in his life.

Kate ran her fingers up and down his side, being gentle with her touch. Since sharing a bed with Castle she had yet to suffer from her usual nightmares, but apparently he was not so lucky. "Do you always have them?" she asked quietly.

"Have what?" his defense was a question, even though he knew what she was talking about. It was stupid for him not to know.

"Rick..." her tone was firmer than before, pushing quietly.

"Sometimes." his voice was barely audible and it worried her more than his silence and Kate wondered if he would tell her. She waited him out, and finally he sighed and spoke again. "Usually the close calls."

"Freezing to death, you mean?"

He nodded. "Freezing to death. The Triple Killer. Coonan." He swallowed hard. "Not always you, though. I've had plenty of close calls without your help." He chuckled slightly, but then grew serious again. "I've almost lost Alexis twice. Once when she was five; I lost her in a store, and someone almost walked out with her. And once when she was ten, she got so sick she was hospitalized for three days." He swallowed hard. "I was in a plane crash once. More car accidents than I care to count. One crazy stalker. So yeah... I have nightmares sometimes."

She was quiet for a long time before speaking again, tentatively. "Do you want to talk about this one?"

Castle was silent for a long time and Kate was about to tell him it was okay but then she felt him take a deep breath. "It was a new one... we were standing in a cemetery and you were in your uniform." He paused and she mulled it over. He had never really seen her in the uniform but he did have a very interesting imagination. His mind was creative.

His own thoughts were churning, his chest aching as he continued. "I was standing near you. It was... it felt comforting. We looked at each other and when I looked out into the distance I kept seeing a glint... and then there was a shot – " His voice hitched and it made his chest hurt but he didn't care. He pulled her closer, pressing his face against her hair to breathe her in.

"You were bleeding to death in my arms and I couldn't... I begged you to stay... I told you I loved you. And you died."

She swallowed hard, unsure what to do, tears gathering her eyes at his anguish. She gasped when he moved abruptly, but he was only pulling her closer, as though trying to hide her inside himself. "Rick, you'll hurt yourself."

"I won't." He pulled her so that she was sprawled half on top of him, and he wrapped his arms around her body. "I need you close to me," he murmured into the side of her neck. "I need to know you're here." He paused and breathed deeply of the warm scent of her skin. "You're not allowed to die on me, Kate. You hear me?"

In her line of work, she couldn't promise that, and he damn well knew it. But now wasn't the time. She reached up and stroked her fingers through his hair, holding him close. "I hear you, Rick," she murmured softly. "I hear you."

Her touch soothed him yet it did nothing to banish the images. The nightmare had felt so real but nothing about it had been right. Castle closed his eyes and then immediately opened them again.

"If you died..." He trailed off, unable to voice his real fear because he was sure that if she died he would shatter with her. Just the thought caused his chest to hurt worse and he sucked in a deep breath only to regret it. The pain that flared caused him to cough in agony.

She stretched up and kissed him gently, then stroked his hair back from his forehead. "I'm not going to die," she whispered. "Isn't that the point of us being here in Venice, anyway? None of us gets hurt or killed? Besides," she added, prodding him very gently on the undamaged side of his ribcage. "You're the one getting snatched off streetcorners and beaten up, not me."

He couldn't help but chuckle at that, and she smiled when he did. He drew her down to him and kissed her again. "Oh, Kate," he whispered against her skin. "God, I wish I didn't have cracked ribs right now." When she arched an eyebrow at him, he slid one hand down her back to cup her rump and squeeze suggestively. "The spirit is demanding, but the flesh is way too sore for it."

She laughed softly, pressing a kiss to his jaw as she closed her eyes. His fingers danced back up her spine and she smiled into his chest. "Soon," she promised with another kiss to his chest. He tightened his arms around her and closed his eyes. He was ready to sleep for days at this rate.

"Mmhmm... Rick?"

It took a moment for her voice to register and he shifted, looking down at the top of her head. "Hm?"

She thumped his chest lightly, not even bothering to open her eyes. "Next time just ask."

His chuckle was the sound that followed her into sleep.

* * *

><p>"I got him," Ryan said around noon on Friday, and Esposito looked up from the file he was going through. "Listen to this. Mike Yanavich, sergeant, assigned to the records room from '02 to '05. Says here he ran it up till he retired, <em>and<em> he graduated from the academy in the same class as Raglan and McCallister."

"Could be our third cop; where is he?"

Ryan pulled it up on the computer as Esposito took the file to look at it. "Says here he relocated to Miami Beach after he retired."

"Get upstairs, get in touch with Miami-Dade PD. See if they can verify his address. We'll fly to Miami to get him if we have to."

It was four o'clock when Ryan finally heard back. After hanging up the phone, he turned to Esposito. "Apparently Yanavich didn't care much for the sun and sand; he was only in Miami for a year before moving back to Brooklyn. Bought that cop bar out on Fulton."

"How's he afford a bar on a cop's pension?"

Ryan smirked. "Why don't we ask him?"

* * *

><p>The bar was noisy, even though the hour was early, but the man behind the bar wore an NYPD tee shirt and responded when Esposito called out Yanavich's name. They introduced themselves, and then Esposito said, "Can we talk to you for a minute?"<p>

"Sure. Want a drink?"

Esposito shook his head. "You worked the records room down at the Twelfth."

"A decade ago, sure."

"Yeah, well, some records went missing on your watch. And some got altered."

"I don't doubt it," Yanavich replied. "Look, it wasn't like it is today. We didn't make a Federal case out of everything back then."

"You graduated from the academy with John Raglan and Gary McCallister," Ryan said.

"Yeah, and forty other guys." Yanavich leaned over the bar. "Listen, I read the papers. I know Raglan and McCallister were dirty. I wasn't involved. We barely even talked much."

"Do you know if they were tight with anybody else?" Esposito asked.

Yanavich nodded. "Yeah. Some black kid, rookie, used to follow them around." He turned, looking toward the wall behind the bar. "I got a picture of them – hang on." He went to the wall and searched, returning a moment later with a snapshot in his hand. "That's him. The hell was his name?"

Ryan and Esposito both stared at the photograph. Ryan felt his heart sink as Yanavich snapped his fingers. "I know. Montgomery. Yeah. Raglan and McCallister trained that kid."

Ryan stared at his partner. He knew his voice was shaking when he said, "Montgomery said he didn't know either of these guys."

Esposito stared at the photo without speaking for a long moment, then looked up at Yanavich, tore it in half, and tossed it back on the bar, storming out. Ryan followed him into the alley. "Javi," he said, reaching out to grab his partner's shoulder. "You know it's him."

"How can you say that?" Esposito demanded. "How can you even _think_ that? He brought us into Homicide! What do we got, a picture?"

"Think about it!" Kevin insisted. "He's been lying to us! He's been lying to us the whole time!"

The swing came out of nowhere, and the next thing Ryan knew, he was fighting hard, fighting his own partner. When Esposito shoved him against the wall by the throat, he spread his arms. "Go ahead!" he shouted. "Go ahead!"

But it wouldn't change anything, and they both knew it. Esposito dropped his hands and fell back against the wall. He stared up at the sky. "What the hell do we do now?"

"I don't know, man," Ryan replied, wiping the blood from beneath his nose. "We need Beckett."

Esposito nodded. "Yeah, but to get Beckett, we gotta go through Shaw."

* * *

><p>Saturday morning, Castle was sprawled out in the middle of their bed with the sheets tangled around his body, sleeping peacefully. The sound of Kate calling his name pulled him away from slumber and he slowly opened his eyes to see her smiling down at him. "Good morning."<p>

"Hey there, sleepy head. I was almost worried you weren't going to wake up at all," her voice was soft as she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips before drawing back. The slight worry in her eyes faded and he felt her fingers ghosting over his wrapped chest, feeling for the injury from the night before. Kate knew the moment she found it because of the face Rick gave her before gently pushing her hand away. "Painful?"

He shook his head, managing to sit up despite feeling stiff. "Tender, not unbearable."

She made a sympathetic noise. "Hot shower, then lunch? It'll just be you and me; Alexis made friends with a girl from up the street and they're out sightseeing together."

"I'm glad she's made a friend." He let her help him to his feet, grimacing at his own incapacity. "This isn't easy for her."

"No, but she's a smart girl; she'll find ways to cope." She moved in close to him, draping her arms around his shoulders and tiptoeing to kiss him.

He blinked down at her. "You're really short without your heels."

"I'm not, either," she replied. "I'm five-nine. You're the one who's freakishly tall." She poked his uninjured side. "And if you keep being mean to me, I'll go sit on the balcony with a book and not talk to you all day."

"A fate worse than death," he replied dramatically, leaning down to kiss her again. Then he grinned. "You know, I'm feeling really stiff. I might need some help in the shower."

She smirked. "I'm sure you can _help_ yourself with that stiffness in the shower. I've already done my hair; I'm not doing it again."

He sighed dramatically before pulling away, heading toward the bathroom as Kate turned to make her way downstairs. Castle's shower took longer than normal and by the time he was finished he was still aching, but he felt good. He slipped into a pair of boxers and jeans before going downstairs, searching for Kate.

He found her in the living room with lunch spread out across the coffee table. The smile on Rick's face grew as he walked over to her, taking a seat beside Kate on the couch. "It looks delicious," he offered as he examined the sandwiches and the fresh fruit. He was starving.

"Thank you," she replied as she shifted on the couch until she could see him easier. She raised an eyebrow at his shirtless state, but she wasn't going to complain. "Feel better?"

"Down to a mild ache now," he confirmed as he reached for a strawberry and bit into it, making a sound of pleasure at the wonderful taste.

She leaned, resting her chin on his shoulder, and stared. He turned slightly to look at her and she deliberately widened her eyes. When the strawberry approached his mouth for another bite, she drew in a shaky breath, the very tip of her tongue darting out to wet her lips.

He held very still for a long moment, studying the berry, then turned to her, holding it up to her lips. "If you wanted a bite, why didn't you just say so?"

"Because this way is more fun." Her white teeth sank slowly into the flesh of the berry, and she let her eyes flutter closed, giving a soft moan at the flavor. "Mmm. Delicious." She ran her tongue across her lip, catching a drop of juice that had been left there, and then she opened her eyes again, looking up at him mischievously.

Then she shrieked as he lunged for her, bearing her down on the sofa and claiming her lips with his. He kissed her hard and thoroughly, and she gave as good as she got, so that when he finally released her mouth they were both panting hard and her arms and legs were wrapped around him. She smirked up at him. "See?" she said. "_Way_ more fun."

"You're such a tease," he responded as he crowded her just a little more, his hips giving a small thrust without his consent. Kate arched underneath him and he groaned, letting his forehead fall onto her shoulder. Castle felt her fingers on his bare skin and he closed his eyes with a shaky breath.

Her legs tightened around his waist and he fought to keep himself still. There was no doubt that he wanted her, but Castle was not optimistic about his healing ribs enduring such a workout. He placed on hand low on her stomach, keeping her still as he nipped the skin right behind her ear with a soft growl. "Kate..."

The longing and frustration in his voice caused her to loosen her grip slightly. Kate wasn't ready to pull away entirely and so she removed a hand from his back in order to grab another strawberry. She held up to him, watching as his blue eyes darkened before he took a bite.

She drew his face down to hers and kissed him again, both of them tasting strawberries and their frustrated longing for each other. When she released him that time, she helped him sit up, then put a little distance between them on the couch. When he raised an eyebrow at her, she flushed slightly. "Sometimes it's hard to breathe when you're that close to me," she admitted, her voice soft.

He smiled slightly. "Sometimes I have the same problem."

They were silent for a long moment, until she finally broke the spell by reaching out and picking up a sandwich. She handed it to him and he smiled. "Thanks." He took up a napkin to catch the crumbs, and she did the same, both of them quiet while they ate.

Castle was the first to finish and he crumpled up his napkin as he watched her. The last few minutes kept replaying in his head and he wondered about the differences between here and New York. They hadn't talked about it yet but he knew that she was very secretive of her life. Kate was private and he respected that, but once they were back home...

"Are we going to tell them when we get back?" He wasn't sure about why he sounded so hesitant, but he didn't care. Their relationship might not be something she was ready to share with anyone else just yet. Once it got out, the press would be all over them and a part of him was worried that it would push her away. Kate already got enough heat from being Nikki Heat. The press she would get for being his girlfriend was infinitely worse.

Kate studied him as she searched for an answer, seeing how uneasy he became as the silence stretched on. Finally she gave in, but not in the way he wanted. "Tell them what?"

"Tell them about us. About you and me and this relationship," he sounded somewhat frustrated but the tone faded by the end of his reply. She was deflecting, a tactic he was a master at.

She put down the last bite of her sandwich and studied him. When she spoke, her words were measured and her tone tightly controlled. "I suppose it depends on what this relationship is," she said.

He felt his brows draw together. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You tell me, Rick," she replied. "You said you loved me. And I said I love you. And now all of a sudden you're acting like when we get back to New York this is all going to be some kind of dirty little secret."

"What? I am not!"

"Then why would you even suggest not telling people?" She stood, pacing a few steps and then turning to face him. "If we're going to be _together_ then why the hell wouldn't I tell my friends? Why wouldn't I tell my family?"

"I don't know; that's why I'm asking you. You're the one who keeps secrets."

Her mouth dropped open. "I _what_?"

"You do!" he accused, wondering even as he did so how the hell this had turned into an accusation. "You never tell anyone anything if you can avoid it."

"Just because I don't live my life on Page Six –"

"That's not what I'm talking about!"

"Then what the hell _are_ you talking about, Rick? Because from here, it sounds like you're accusing me of being so secretive and closed off that I wouldn't even tell my friends who I was dating."

"I'm a sore spot with you, Kate! We are a sore spot. You could never stand for people to insinuate that we were together. You've always fought against it when we were there. Things changed when we came here, but once we go back..." he trailed off, feeling angry and upset and exhausted all at the same time.

All he wanted to know was that he didn't have to worry. Castle had never doubted her love for him since she confessed it, but he wasn't naive enough to think things would be this simple back in the city. There the press would hound them and their families would be around. They worked together in close quarters on most days and all he wanted...

"All I want to know is that you won't start fighting again, Kate." he finished in a quiet voice, all of the fight seeping out of him.

She felt her eyes fill with tears. "You actually think that little of me, that I would tell you I love you, that I would admit that to myself and to you, with everything we've been through, just because we're in a different place? You honestly think I would say that and then, what, take it back? Why, because I don't want Esposito and Ryan to tease me about it or something?"

He lurched to his feet at the first tear that ran down her face, reaching for her, needing to fix the damage he'd somehow caused. "No, Kate, that's not what I meant!"

She jerked away from him as though his touch might burn her. "I fought you because I didn't _trust_ you, Rick," she said softly. "You didn't give me any reason to. Every time I turned around, it was ex-wives and starlets and models and Bachelorette Number Three. But I thought that changed. I thought _you_ changed. And I was willing to take a chance on you, because you said you were done pretending. But now I'm not so sure any more."

"Kate –"

She held up a hand to stop him from speaking. "Don't. Okay? Just… don't." She ran a hand through her hair, then wiped at the tears on her cheeks. "I need to be alone right now. I need to think." She turned away from him and started down the stairs.

He moved to the glass half-wall at the ledge. "Where are you going?" he asked.

She stopped in the middle of the entryway downstairs and looked up at him, her face now utterly blank. "I don't know," she said, and then she walked out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's note: Many thanks to MoreThanAMuse, who kindly reminded me that ffnet's formatting wasn't reading my section breaks. I have reformatted chapters 4, 5 and 6 to reflect the missing breaks; you might want to glance back over those if you got confused by the shifting action. ~RC_

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><p>The theater where they met with Shaw wasn't an ordinary one. Rather than giant rooms filled with rows of seats, the Little Screen Theater boasted small rooms with tables around which groups of people could sit. They also served pizza and other snack foods in addition to just popcorn and candy.<p>

Ryan and Jenny got to the theater first, so Ryan ordered a large pepperoni pizza for the group to share. Shaw and Avery got there next, holding hands and still pretending to be a couple. Esposito and Lanie were last, fifteen minutes late, as though he had been trying to convince himself that by not showing up he could make what they had to say not exist.

They didn't start talking until the movie began; it was a typical early-summer blockbuster full of noise and explosions, which gave them some cover from possible listeners. As some random action hero saved the world on the screen, Ryan and Esposito laid out all the information they had for Shaw, piece by piece.

Her face remained impassive until both detectives were done. For a while she said nothing, but when she turned to look at Avery he got up without a word and left the table. "Avery will do all the footwork on this one until we are positive. The moment I know for certain you will know too."

Jordan let the two agents absorb her words before she continued. "Now, there is the subject of your team lead and her writer."

Esposito and Ryan shared a look, both nodding before Esposito took the lead. "They need to know. As soon as possible."

Shaw nodded. "And I will pass on this information to her. But she is going to have to stay where she is. If Montgomery _is_ involved in this… we don't know his role. Is he there to keep an eye on her? Just to keep her away from making real progress on the case? Or is he an actual danger to her?" She sat back for a moment, thinking, then leaned forward again. "I need to know something. Can you two – you _three_," she corrected herself, glancing at Lanie, "go back in there on Monday and act like nothing's happened? Can you absolutely, one hundred percent go in there and _not_ let him know that you know something about this? Because if you can't, then we need to get you to safety. All of you," she added, with a pointed glance at Jenny.

Esposito and Ryan shared a long look. "If we're not in there," Ryan finally said, "she's got nobody in there on her side."

Esposito nodded. "Think we can do this?"

Ryan took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I think we can do this."

They turned in unison back to Shaw. "We got this," Esposito said firmly.

"All right," Shaw replied. "I'll keep you updated."

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><p>That night Castle didn't sleep for several reasons.<p>

Alexis had arrived home in time for dinner and he had tried to play off Kate's absence as no big deal but he was transparent. His daughter didn't push; instead, she told him about her day while they ate. The real worry didn't set in until he had almost finished cleaning the kitchen and put away the leftovers.

It was getting dark and still there was no sign of Kate. He felt like such an idiot for upsetting her with his stupid fears. Castle knew that she loved him and that should have been enough. He had been so close to going out in search, but then the call came from Agent Shaw.

By the end of their conversation he felt even more bruised than before. The fact that Captain Montgomery was their third cop left an awful taste in his mouth. He had trusted the man, but more than that, Kate had trusted him. Kate believed in him and loved the man like he was family and now... Castle would have to break the news to her.

Sleep refused to come and he made the best of it by adding information to the murder board and then attempting to write. Every scenario with Rook and Nikki ended up sounding too much like his fight with Kate and so he shut his laptop with more force than needed.

He was still awake when Alexis headed out to meet her friend the next morning, much to her dismay. Only after she pushed did he lay back on the couch because he was really too stiff and too sore. Rick closed his eyes and felt himself drift off just a little, but his worry about Kate and the Captain kept him awake until he heard the door open a little before noon.

She was wearing the same clothes she'd left in the day before, her hair was tied back in a simple ponytail at the base of her neck, and she wore no makeup. Her eyes were red as though she'd spent a great deal of the time she'd been gone crying, but they were dry as she came up the stairs.

He sat up on the couch and watched her come around the corner. She stopped, stood there and studied him. "You look like hell," she finally said.

"So do you," he replied.

She sat down at the dining table and studied her fingernails. "I crashed on a bunk at a youth hostel last night," she said after a long pause. "What's your excuse?"

"That you crashed on a bunk at a youth hostel last night." He came over and sat down at the table as well. "I couldn't sleep with you gone. I was worried about you."

"I needed to think," she said softly. "It took awhile."

He looked down at his hands for a moment, then up at her. "Kate, listen. What I said yesterday –"

"It doesn't matter, Castle –"

"Yes, it does." Those three forceful words stopped her and she stared at him. "It does," he said again, more gently, "because if it didn't, you'd still be calling me Rick." He reached out and took her hands. "When I asked you that yesterday… I didn't make it clear what I meant. And I didn't realize that until after you'd gone. I thought we were on the same page, but it wasn't until about the third time I replayed it all in my mind that I realized what I forgot to say."

She kept the impassive look on her face, waiting for him to continue. Rick took a deep breath as he laced their fingers together, hoping this worked out. "I know this relationship means something. It means everything, Kate. You're all in. I get that. I know that, but I'm all in too and maybe I didn't make that clear, and I'm sorry." He paused for a moment, squeezing her fingers as he watched her intently.

Her face gave away nothing, but the look in her eyes was slowly changing. Word by word she was opening up a little more.

"This relationship means everything to me, Kate, and what I meant yesterday... it came out wrong. You are a very private person. You don't like people prying into your personal life and I know how much you dislike being in the spotlight with Nikki Heat, but being with me... being my girlfriend... the press would have a heyday with that."

"Do you think I don't already know that?" she asked him. They might have been fighting words but for the gentle tone she spoke them in.

"No." He gave her a slight, self-deprecating smile. "I'm well aware that you know that. I just… I wanted to make sure you'd thought about it. Because I forget, sometimes, that people who don't deal with that kind of thing on a regular basis often don't like it when it blindsides them. And you have to admit that when you get blindsided like that, you do tend to react first and think later."

She couldn't help the slight smile that escaped at that pointed comment. "That's true," she admitted. She took a deep breath and studied him carefully. "So… that's what this was about, yesterday? Not our friends or anything, but… the press?"

He nodded.

She considered him for a long moment, then stood, walking around to his side of the table. She stood in front of him for a long moment, then suddenly balled up her fist and socked him in the arm. "You jerk! Why didn't you just _say_ that?"

"Ow! Apples, apples!" He rubbed his arm, flinching away from her. Castle opened one eye, glancing up at her timidly. Kate waited a moment before relaxing, giving him a softer look. He really did look like hell.

"You really didn't sleep did you?" she asked quietly. He gave her a tired smile and that was the only answer she really needed from him.

They remained silent for a time, Castle sitting and Kate standing, before he reached out and took her hand. "There's some leftover pasta from last night. I saved your plate." he offered quietly. Now that Kate was back he had only one thing weighing on his mind.

She smiled at him, reaching out to touch his face. "That sounds good. I'm starving."

He heated the food for her and waited quietly while she ate, going over the conversation with Shaw in his mind.

_It was almost 11:30, and he was worried. Anything could have happened to her out there. She could have been mugged, kidnapped, murdered by some street thug. Their cover might have been blown and she could be in the hands of whoever killed her mother. He tried calling her new cell phone, but she'd left it; it rang proudly from its charger on the entertainment center._

_When the satellite phone rang, he snatched it up quickly, thinking irrationally that she might have forgotten his new number and be calling that one. "Kate?"_

_There was a long pause. "Castle, it's Shaw."_

_He felt himself deflate. "Oh."_

"_Is Beckett not there?"_

"_No, she…" He swallowed hard. "She went out. Forgot her cell phone. I thought…" He sighed. "It doesn't matter. What's the news?"_

"_Not good." He heard her shuffling papers. "We think we've found the third cop. The evidence is circumstantial, but… frankly, if I was a D.A., I'd take it to trial."_

"_Wait, how is that not good news? Is he dead or something?"_

_Shaw was quiet for a long moment before speaking again. "It's Montgomery."_

_Rick couldn't believe his ears. He sat down heavily on the nearest chair, taking it all in as Shaw laid out the evidence that Ryan and Esposito had found. Yanavich. The photograph. Montgomery's order to the two men that Lockwood should be killed on sight. She was right – it was damning. Were he seated on a jury, he would likely vote to convict based on that evidence._

_It was going to destroy Kate._

_He listened as Shaw explained that Avery was doing more digging; before they tried to take Montgomery down, they wanted to be one hundred percent sure it was him. If they were wrong, the results would be disastrous. "I need you to impress upon Kate the absolute necessity for going nowhere and doing nothing," Shaw said once she'd finished. "We could be wrong. I hope to God we're wrong. But if we're right, Montgomery will be the key that leads us to whoever's behind all this."_

"_I'll make sure," Castle said, his voice sounding distant and tinny in his own ears. "Keep us updated."_

"_I will. Don't expect to hear from me for a few days, though, at least."_

"_Noted." He cleared his throat. "Good luck, Agent Shaw."_

When Kate finished eating, he took her plate and washed it, then took her hands. "We need to talk," he said softly. "Jordan Shaw called last night."

Kate looked up at him and her heart clenched at the serious look on his face. Something was wrong. "Is everything okay? Is everyone-"

The look on his face transformed immediately and he gripped her hands. "No, Kate. Everyone is fine. They're okay."

She released the breath she had been holding, relaxing a little. The look on his face had worried her more than anything. His sudden silence, however, made her brow furrow in confusion. "Well, spit it out Castle."

He took a deep breath and then let it all out. "They found out who the third cop is. You have to promise to stay calm and no overreacting. You have to –"

"Rick, who the hell is it?"

"... Montgomery."

She stared at him in utter shock. "I'm sorry… what?"

He sighed. "The evidence is circumstantial, but it's strong. Shaw has Avery running it down, double checking and making sure that there's no way it could be a mistake. But Ryan and Esposito were sure enough that they told her."

"No. No, it can't be him. It can't."

"It may not be. Like I said, Avery's running it down to be sure."

She stood up. "I have to get back to New York. This is ridiculous."

"No." His voice was firm when he stepped in front of her, and he laid both hands on her shoulders. "You're not going anywhere. You're staying right here until we hear from Shaw again."

"Castle, this is –"

"I said _no._" His grip tightened just a little bit, and when she looked up into his eyes, she saw no trace of the joker who usually inhabited them. This was a version of Rick she'd only ever seen a few times before – notably, times like when he was beating the living shit out of Hal Lockwood. This was a version of Rick that was absolutely in charge, and was not going to take a bunch of crap out of anyone.

She swallowed hard, and wondered if she was losing it when her mind whispered, _That is really fucking hot._

He waited until he was sure he had her full attention before speaking again. "The last thing she said to me was that I needed to impress upon you the absolute importance of staying right where we are and not doing anything stupid. So you're going to listen to me. We don't know what they know. We don't know what Montgomery knows. We don't know if it's even true about Montgomery. The guys could be wrong. So you are going to calm down, and you are going to stay right here if I have to handcuff you to the bed upstairs. Do I make myself clear?"

She swallowed hard again, and then she nodded.

Castle slowly relaxed his grip, but he didn't let go. Instead, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and whispered softly against her skin, "I'm so sorry, Kate." The silence engulfed them again and he just held her close, rubbing his hands up and down her back slowly. Eventually he felt himself start to drift off, exhaustion overriding even his need to be there for the woman in his arms. Rick rested his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes, pulling her closer.

Kate untangled herself from his arms and took his hand, tugging him gently toward the stairs to their room. He followed on her heels, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his free hand while biting back a yawn. She had at least managed to get a few restless hours of sleep, but it seemed that he had been completely serious about not sleeping at all. Once they made it to their room she turned and gently helped him pull off first his shirt and then his pants. Her eyes trailed over his body and she reached out, fingers dancing across his side as she felt for any injuries.

"Does it still hurt?" she asked, looking up at him, her eyes telling him that he'd better not lie to her.

"A little," he admitted. Then he pulled her into his arms again. "Not as much as you being gone."

"I'm here now," she murmured against his chest. She squeezed him carefully, then turned and pushed him gently toward the bed. "Let's get some sleep."

He sat down on the side of the bed and watched as she changed her top for a sleep shirt before sliding her pants off her legs. She pulled her arms inside the shirt; a moment later, her bra fell to the floor and her arms came back out. She smirked at him and he grinned back, and then she climbed into bed next to him and waited.

He slid in with her, finding a comfortable spot and reaching for her. She moved into his arms and cuddled up against his side, resting her head on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply of the scent of her hair, and was asleep in moments.

It took her a little while longer.

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><p>He couldn't sleep knowing what he did.<p>

Esposito shifted onto his back with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling as he listened to the sound of the rain outside. It was too early to be awake, but he hadn't really slept either. He couldn't get his mind to shut down long enough for anything, really. Just the thought of facing the Captain had him both angry and upset. He didn't want to believe that their Captain was the third cop, but all of the facts were laid out for them to see.

"Javi…?" the soft voice next to him startled him from his thoughts and he shifted again, pulling Lanie against his chest. He pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her shoulder before he curled up tighter against her.

"Right here, baby," he whispered softly, smiling when she snuggled back against him before falling back asleep. He waited a few moments before closing his own eyes, breathing her in as he managed to fall into a restless sleep.

Sunday was rough. It was his and Ryan's usual day to play Madden, so Ryan came over – with Jenny – but neither of them were really in the mood to play, so they just sat on the couch and drank beer while the two women talked about them in low, worried voices in the other room.

Finally Ryan spoke. "This fucking sucks, man."

Esposito raised an eyebrow; Ryan seldom swore, and he couldn't remember a time before when he'd heard his partner drop the F-bomb. He waited, knowing there was more.

"I mean, what the hell are we supposed to do? We ratted out fucking _Montgomery_, man!" He stood up and started to pace. "So now what? We arrest the _Captain_? Interrogate him like… like he's a freaking perp?"

"Bro – calm down, all right? We don't know anything for sure yet," Esposito responded, hoping to calm down his partner. He was having his own issues with what they might have to do and he didn't need Ryan's emotions tacked onto his. It was bad enough that he didn't know how Beckett felt about the whole ordeal. She was his other partner and not having her around felt weird, but knowing what they did about everything… he wanted her to be back just so that he could keep an eye on her.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Castle, because he did, but there was a difference between them. Ryan finally sighed, sitting back down on the couch as he fiddled with his beer bottle. "You know Castle's got her back, right?" he asked, glancing over at his own partner.

Esposito nodded his head, locking eyes with Ryan. "He always does, bro."

"He better," Ryan mumbled, leaning back. He tilted his beer bottle and peered into its mouth. "Dammit. My beer's empty."

"Hey, baby!" Esposito called out. "Would you bring us a couple of beers?"

There was a very long silence in the apartment before Lanie appeared in the bedroom doorway, her eyebrows up near her hairline. "Excuse me?"

Ryan's eyes widened.

Esposito swallowed hard. "Nothing, baby, nothing. Lost my head for a second."

"_Mmm_-hmm. That's what I thought." She disappeared back into the bedroom. "Get your own damn beer."

"You bet, baby." He scrambled to his feet, heading for the kitchen. "You and Jenny need anything in there?"

Jenny's laugh tinkled through the apartment. "We're fine, Javier. Thank you."

Ryan shook his head at his partner as Esposito passed him a cold beer and plopped back down into his own spot on the couch. "Taking your life in your hands, there, man."

"The hell was I thinking?" Esposito muttered. "Lost my damn mind."

The office was dark, but that was nothing new; it was always dark for meetings like this. The man known to the NYPD as Hal Lockwood made his way across the carpeted floor of the outer waiting area and into the inner sanctum. His boss was there, his back to the door, staring out the window at the night-draped city. Lockwood did not speak; he waited.

"Is she handled?"

Lockwood swallowed. He wasn't usually a nervous person, but this man was unpredictable, and had been known to react very poorly to bad news. "There's been a… complication."

There was a long silence. "What kind of complication?"

"She's disappeared. So has her father, and the writer and his family."

"She's gone into hiding." The man at the window made a disparaging noise. "She thinks there's someplace in that city where I can't find her."

"She… may have left the city."

The silence was longer this time, and tinged with danger. "_May have_?"

"She, the writer and his daughter flew to D.C. a couple of days after we left her that message," Lockwood explained. "There's no indication that they returned."

"Find her." The words fell like leaden weights. "No excuses. Find her, and take care of her."

"Yes, sir." Lockwood waited a moment to see if there would be anything else, but there was not. He turned and left as silently as he had entered.

The man at the window stayed there for a very long time, looking out at the city. Then he turned and picked up the handset of the phone on his desk. He dialed a number and waited. "Yes, sir?" came the reply.

"I'm ready to leave, John," he said. "Would you mind bringing the car around?"

"Be right there, Mr. Senator."

"Thank you." He hung up. Behind him, through the window, the lights of the Capitol building burned brightly in the D.C. night.

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><p><em>We appreciate any and all feedback.<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_"Clinch" now has cover art! You can view it at xdawnfirex-fic(dot)livejournal(dot)com(slash)97548(dot)html. Let me know what you think!_

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><p>The scent of cherries surrounded him when he finally started to wake up. The sun was going down and Kate was wrapped tightly in his arms, their legs tangled together under the sheets. Castle pressed a kiss to the back of her head, relaxing his hold a little as the tightness in his chest disappeared. He really had to get up to pee, but he didn't want to wake her up. To be honest, he just didn't want to leave her, period.<p>

Their single night apart had made him realize just how much he needed her around in his life now. He had always wanted her, and to an extent he had needed her, but now things were different. Kate Beckett meant everything to him.

He shifted, feeling the stiffness that usually came when he turned to sleeping on his side, but it wouldn't be too much longer until he was healed. That was a day that he could not wait for because of all the plans he had concerning the woman in his arms. Rick leaned down and pressed a kiss against the back of her neck, breathing in the scent of cherries once more with a smile.

She spoke without opening her eyes. "You're sniffing me."

"I am, yes," he admitted.

"It's creepy."

He chuckled. "But you smell good."

"I don't, either," she denied. "I haven't had a shower since before I left yesterday."

He leaned, nuzzling her cheek, and snuck his nose behind her ear, breathing deeply of the scent of her sleep-warm skin. "You smell amazing," he murmured against her neck. Then he slipped from her arms and padded into the bathroom. After relieving himself, he started the shower, getting the water warm. Then he went back into the bedroom.

She was curled up on her side, wrapped around his pillow, and he grinned, leaning over and nuzzling into her neck and shoulder. He breathed deeply of her scent again, waited for her ghost of a chuckle, and then began to bite teasingly at her neck, deliberately tickling her. She yelped and rolled away, rubbing frantically at her skin to erase the sensation, and he laughed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back to him.

"You must feel better," she stated as she turned her head to look up at him. He was smiling down at her, all the exhaustion from the previous hours gone. Kate smiled at him in return, leaning until shoulders rested against his chest. "Rick, you do realize the shower is running, right?"

Castle nodded his head, shifting until he could slide his hands under her shirt and feel her bare skin against his fingers. The slight hitch in her breathing made him chuckle softly and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Come with me." He whispered the words against her hair while his fingers traced random patterns against her sides. Her eyes slipped shut at his request and her body stilled. Kate knew that his request wasn't as simple as just hopping into the shower with him. The tension between their bodies would never allow just that anyway.

"Your ribs –"

"Are better, I swear. It's not like we're going to be doing acrobatics in the shower, Kate."

"Rick –"

"Please."

His tone was so gentle, but so needy, that she couldn't deny him. She rolled to face him, sitting up, and he pulled her to her feet. Then, with a reverent expression she had never seen on him before, he dropped his hands to the hem of her shirt and slipped his fingers under the soft cotton.

She shuddered slightly as his hands slid up her body, raising the shirt until he could pull it off over her head and drop it on the floor. He swallowed hard, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. She reached up and took them in her own, slowly lowering them to her hips. His fingers curled in the waistband of her panties and slowly slid them down her legs, letting them drop to the floor.

"God," he whispered. "You are so beautiful."

She blushed, her own fingers reaching for the waistband of his boxers. He was already aroused, so she had to be careful sliding them off, but a moment later they were both naked together. She rested her hands on his abdomen and looked up at him in some surprise. "You're shaking."

He laughed softly, reaching down to grab her hands in his own as he started backing toward the bathroom. Truth was, Richard Castle had never been this nervous in his life, except perhaps those few hours in which he waited for his baby daughter to be born. Kate laced her fingers with his and gave a gentle squeeze, feeling her own nerves settle somewhat whenever she looked up at his face.

The bathroom was warm when they entered, steam fogging the glass doors and the mirror above the sink. Rick was the first to open the shower door, reaching a hand in to make sure the water wasn't too hot to stand. He adjusted it slightly before turning back to smile at Kate, leaning over to give her a quick kiss on the lips before he disappeared into the shower and gently tugged her in behind him. Once she shut the door, though, it was almost like they had shut off the outside world as well.

Both stood and stared, taking in the body of their partner with looks of reverence and love. For a moment it was up in the air as to who would make the first move, but then Rick wrapped her in his arms and leaned down until he could press his lips against hers.

Their kisses were warm and soft, but though she could feel his desire between their bodies, he kept his obvious hunger in check. Instead, he released her lips and grabbed the shampoo, pouring a dollop into his hand and then urging her to lean back and wet her hair in the spray. Once she had done so, he drew her to him and began to work the shampoo into her hair, gently massaging her scalp as he did so.

She melted against him, moaning softly in pleasure, and he chuckled as he worked the cleanser into the roots of her hair. When that was done, he lathered her scrubby with a bit of her body wash – mango, since she hadn't been able to find her preferred cherry scent – and wrapped his arms around her, scrubbing her back.

Neither of them spoke; the silence between them was as thick as the steam in the bathroom when he stood her up and had her rinse; then he applied conditioner to her hair and turned her around, bringing the scrubby up to her shoulders.

She leaned back against him as he washed her, shuddering when his hands caressed her breasts and whimpering softly as they moved farther down her body. Eventually, the scrubby ended up in the floor.

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><p>A little while later, she stretched up and kissed him, the water now washing away the evidence of their passion. "Mmhmm... love you, Rick." she mumbled against his lips. He smiled, pulling her body closer to his as he shielded her from the now almost lukewarm water.<p>

She reached out with one foot and toed the water off, then pushed the glass door open and stepped out onto the mat. He leaned against the tile wall and watched appreciatively as she toweled off, grinning unrepentantly when she caught him. She rolled her eyes. "You're a perv."

"I'm a healthy, straight male," he replied. "And you're beautiful."

She grinned, moving to the side of the enclosure and handing him a towel. "You're not so bad yourself, you know."

He grinned, stepping out to towel off quickly. "Seems like I've heard you say that before."

She made a face at him as she pulled her brush through her wet hair. "Go get dressed," she ordered him. "I'm hungry."

"You're such a romantic soul," he teased, smacking her on the butt as he passed.

"Don't think you won't pay for that," she warned.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, heading for the closet. "Promises, promises."

They moved around their room in perfect sync until Castle was leaning over Kate's shoulder as they shared the mirror in the bathroom. She was putting on her makeup while he straightened his tie. Both were smiling as his chest pressed against her back, gently crowding her into the sink.

He kept pushing until she laughed, glancing over her shoulder at him. "If you keep that up I'll leave you here," she threatened lightly, smiling when he immediately backed away a few steps. Castle disappeared from the bathroom to put on his shoes while Kate finished.

He lifted his head when he heard her in the doorway and his breath caught in his lungs for just a moment. She was wearing a red dress that seemed to cling inappropriately to all of her curves until it stopped just below her knees. Castle stared until Kate blushed, running her hands down the side to smooth out invisible wrinkles.

"Ready to go?"

He smiled and stood up, walking over until he was standing right in front of her. They were almost equal in height as she wore a pair of heels that made her legs seem a mile long and he didn't have to lean down far to capture her lips. "You look stunning."

She blushed. "Thank you." She straightened his tie. "Is Alexis going with us?"

He shook his head. "Left a note; she's out with some new friends."

She nodded. "I'm glad she's found some people her age to spend time with."

"Me, too. It makes all of this a lot easier." He ran a hand down her back. "Ready?"

She nodded. "Let me just – oh." She frowned.

"What?"

"Well, I was _going_ to say 'let me get my bag,' but it occurred to me that I don't have one to match this dress."

He chuckled. "Shall we stop off at the leather store up the block on the way?"

"We might need to," she admitted. "I'd hate to have all my stuff in your pockets all night."

"I wouldn't mind," he informed with a smile. Nonetheless, he made a note for them to stop at the store as he picked up some of his things but more of hers. She shook her head at his antics but allowed him to do as he pleased until he really couldn't fit anymore into his pockets.

Kate laughed and he smiled, taking her hand as they walked down the stairs and headed out for the night. Castle tucked her under his arm, proud to have her at his side as they walked toward their first stop. She didn't like when he used his money on her but he enjoyed spoiling his detective from time to time.

The leather store was still open when they got there, and they separated when they entered. She moved to the sale rack, flipping through bags with tiny flaws and bags which were out of fashion. He went directly to the salesman, pointed to her, and did his best with his limited Italian to explain what he wanted. "_Borsa, abbini il vestito_," he said, knowing his accent was horrible and not caring. "Any price."

The salesman's eyes widened. He looked at Kate for a long moment, then back at Rick. "_Si, signore_. I have _la sacchetto perfetto_. _Un momento_." He disappeared into the back of the shop, returning a moment later with a little red leather clutch that matched Kate's dress almost perfectly. He handed it to Rick for examination.

Rick turned it over in his hands, looking for any flaw, no matter how tiny. There was none. The leather was beautifully patterned, and he raised an eyebrow at the man. "What animal?"

The man grinned. "_Coccodrillo_," he replied. "Alligator."

Castle nodded, opening the little bag and beginning to transfer Kate's things into it. "_Si_," he said simply. "How much?"

The salesman considered him, then held up five fingers. "_Cinquecento_."

Castle smirked, holding up three. "Three hundred."

The man grinned widely, offering four. "_Quattrocento_."

Castle shook his head. "Three-fifty," he countered.

The man laughed then. "You drive a hard bargain, _Signore_ American," he said in heavily accented English. "Three seventy-five."

"Deal." They shook hands as Kate approached. In her hands was a black bag that she'd obviously chosen as a go-with-anything. It was plain leather, not very attractive, and out of style by at least two seasons. Castle raised an eyebrow at her. "Put that back and go wash your hands."

Her eyes drifted to the red clutch in his hands and she started to shake her head. "Rick –"

"It's already done," he informed her with a smile, taking the black bag from her hands and putting it back where it belonged. He handed over his purchase and tucked her into his side as they exited the store. Kate turned her new item over and over, awed by how beautiful it was but not happy about how much he probably paid for it.

"I dickered on the price, Kate. Don't worry so much. It's only money," he said softly as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

There was a lot she could have said but she just sighed and nudged him gently in the side. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

He smiled. "You're more than welcome."

They were almost at the restaurant when he paused in his step, digging around in his pocket. "Huh."

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I could've sworn I had…"

"Did you lose your wallet?" she asked, her eyes widening. She'd warned him about pickpockets; why couldn't he pay attention for once?

"Maybe. Or I may have stuck it in your bag with everything else. Would you check?"

She opened the clutch for the first time and gasped. "Rick…"

He grinned. Then he reached into the clutch with two fingers and gently withdrew the delicate diamond bracelet which lay on top of her things. He was quite proud of himself for having managed to get it into his pocket and then into the handbag without her noticing.

As he clasped it around her wrist, she stared up at him in shock. "That's what you bought our first day here, isn't it?"

He nodded. "One of the things."

"One of?" Her eyebrows came together. "Rick, what else did you –"

He cut her off with a kiss. "It wasn't all for you, so please don't get excited."

She pulled back, eyebrow raised. He smiled at her and held up his hand with the wedding band. "I got this for myself and something for Alexis, of course."

Kate was still giving him a wary look and he chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "It looks beautiful on you and I am not taking it back," he informed her as he laced their fingers together. She stared at him for the longest before a smile made its way onto her face.

"This time I'll let it slide," she finally replied with a somewhat serious look. He nodded and gave her one last kiss before they entered the restaurant. It wasn't overly extravagant, but it was definitely high class. She looked around with awe, especially after noticing the beautiful chandelier hanging in the main dining area.

"It isn't as expensive as it seems," he promised as he laid one hand on her lower back. They were lead to a table close to the rear of the restaurant that was away from prying eyes. Castle pulled out Kate's seat and helped her to slide up to their table before he sat in his own.

"Somehow I have my doubts about the truthfulness of that statement," she replied, picking up the menu. "My dad always says if there aren't any prices on the menu, it's too expensive."

He grinned. "And your dad's probably exactly right. Lucky for me, I never had a dad, so I'm blessedly free from such compunctions."

Just then the waiter came over, inquiring after their drink order. Castle glanced quickly over the wine list and ordered a very fine red; when the waiter returned, it was with the bottle. They went through the usual routine before he pronounced it acceptable, and then he poured generous glasses full for both of them. They ordered and were left alone, and Castle reached across the table for her hand. He admired the sparkle and shimmer of the diamonds around her wrist, then slowly brought his eyes up her arm to the generous view of her cleavage and finally up to her eyes. He smiled. "Beautiful," he whispered.

Kate blushed as she looked down at their hands. "You need to stop that," she chastised softly, willing the flush on her cheeks to disappear. Across from her Castle cocked his head in confusion, unaware that he had said or done anything wrong.

"Stop what?" he asked in a tone just as soft as hers, but laced with curiosity.

Kate sighed, running a set of fingers through her hair. "You need to stop saying that."

Castle stared at her a moment as he racked his brain until it clicked. Confusion changed to surprise as he squeezed her hand and leaned in closer. "What? That you're beautiful?" He gave her a chance to nod before he laced their fingers.

"I say it because it's true. You are beautiful, Kate. Absolutely breathtaking," he affirmed in a whisper before he pulled her hand up to his lips. The kiss was gentle and fleeting but it made her heart beat just a little faster.

She shook her head. "You're a smooth operator, Rick," she said softly, one finger reaching up to trace the bridge of his nose.

He studied her across the table. "Is that what you think this is?" he asked, his voice low. There was no condemnation in what he said, only curiosity. "You really think this is just me trying lines and saying what I think you want to hear?"

She swallowed hard, studying him in return. Finally she shook her head. "No," she admitted. "A month ago, maybe, but now…" She shook her head again. "No. I believe you."

He smiled then. "Good. Because it's true. I love you, Kate."

She felt her eyes start to prickle. "You _have_ to stop," she said again. "I mean it."

"Why?" he asked, still confused.

"Because you're going to make me cry," she admitted, dabbing at the corner of her eye with her napkin, "and my mascara's not waterproof."

He stared at her in utter shock for a long moment, and then he started to laugh.

Kate glared daggers at Castle, slapping his arm hard enough to make him yelp. For a moment both of them were silent and then Kate burst out laughing and he followed.

Dinner was a romantic affair between the two. Castle was constantly touching Kate and she enjoyed every minute of it. After dinner he picked up the tab, without letting her see, and then they walked home. It was a nice night and he kept her tucked under his arm as he whispered dirty little wishes into her ear.

Kate blushed the entire journey home while laughing and leaning into him. It was nice. Better than nice, if she was honest. Alexis was nowhere in sight when they entered the house but a note let them know that she was already in bed.

Castle kicked off his shoes near the door, pulling Kate back before she could walk away. He captured her mouth in a passionate kiss, keeping her close as they stood just in the doorway. "Today has been… amazing," he said softly.

She smiled. "Yeah, it really has." She cupped his cheek with her hand. "I'm sorry. About yesterday."

"Me, too." He leaned down to kiss her again, then rested his forehead against hers. "Let's not do that again, okay?"

"Fine by me," she replied, laughing softly. Then she kissed him again. "Come on, Rick. Take me to bed."

* * *

><p><em>Author's note: The explicit version of this chapter is available at LiveJournal for those readers over the legal age for possession of erotic materials. You can access it at the address given at the beginning of this chapter. <em>

_We appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you for your continued support!_


	9. Chapter 9

Fortunately for Javier Esposito's sanity, a body dropped around seven o'clock Monday morning. He didn't even have to go in to the precinct; he left Lanie's apartment and went straight to the crime scene, stopping for coffee on the way. Ryan was already there when he got there, talking to a uniform who turned out to be the first cop on the scene.

"What's the deal?" Esposito asked him as he approached.

Ryan turned to face his partner, and he could see that the news was not good. Ryan cleared his throat. "White female, age thirty. Garbageman found her."

"Any I.D.?"

Ryan shrugged. "To be honest, I hadn't checked yet."

Esposito stared at his partner. "Why not?"

Ryan pointed to the scene, which was behind a Dumpster in an alley. "Go see for yourself."

Esposito strode forward into the alley and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him. If he had not known better, he would have sworn it was Beckett. The victim was slender, tall and brunette, with Beckett's vaguely square, Baltic features. Only her eyes, which were open, were blue instead of green, and her nose, which was shaped differently, proved to him that she wasn't Beckett. That and the message scrawled across the wall above her head in what looked like her own blood: _Come out and play._

* * *

><p>"They want her. Bad enough to come out and play," Esposito stated as he sat across from Agent Shaw in a café. Ryan was still managing the scene with some help, but Javier knew they had to tell Jordan as soon as possible. It was why they were sitting down before lunch while everyone else was moving like crazy. Jordan took a sip of her coffee and stared out the window for a moment before she finally said anything, "Give me the facts once more."<p>

He didn't even have to look at his notebook anymore. "Doroteia Balasevic. Thirty years old. Serbian immigrant. Almost an exact replica of Beckett, except for the eyes and the nose. Lanie placed time of death around three or four this morning, but that's all she's got so far." Esposito could just see the wheels turning in the agent's head as she went over all of the information. Finally, she looked directly at him, serious as could be.

"Find what you can, but I doubt they left behind any evidence. We'll help you run this one from the shadows for the time being," she stated before getting another sip of her coffee. Esposito nodded, and then he asked the question that had been on his mind since he noticed the resemblance between the victim and his partner.

"What about Beckett?"

Jordan waited another moment before giving her answer. "Telling her would only bring her back, and that's what they want, Detective."

It was all the answer he needed, even though he didn't really like it, he agreed. Keeping Beckett out of the loop was the only way to keep her safe, for now.

"What have you got on… that other situation?"

Shaw grimaced. "Not much, but what we do have… it's not good. I'm thinking we're going to have to bring him in."

Esposito ran a hand across his head, his fingers combing through his short hair. "All right," he said finally. "Tell me when. I want to be there."

Shaw nodded. "As soon as I know something."

* * *

><p>Shaw had been right – there was absolutely no forensic evidence at the crime scene or on the body. "She was definitely killed there," Lanie told the two detectives. "From the looks of things, somebody pulled her off the sidewalk into the alley and stabbed her." She showed them a diagram of the stab wounds. "It's not exact, but it's a close approximation of…" She trailed off, glancing around at the various other people in the room. "Another case we've seen."<p>

Ryan nodded. "I expected that," he said softly.

Esposito sighed, running his hand through his hair again. "All right," he said finally. "We'll see what we can do with what we've got."

The second body dropped just before five o'clock. Ryan hadn't vomited at a crime scene since he was a rookie, but the sight of the teenager's body behind another dumpster, her long red hair and prep school uniform soaked with blood, sent him gagging into the street. Esposito's jaw clenched hard at the new message painted on the filthy brick wall: _The party's getting started._

He felt like shit for thinking it, but the relief it caused was needed nonetheless. As long as the copycat bodies kept dropping, it meant that the real ones were still safe.

* * *

><p>Agent Shaw stared at the high tech murder board in the very secure war room at FBI headquarters. Avery was behind her at the computer, typing in the new information they had received from Beckett's team about the second murder. First a woman who looked like Beckett and now a girl who looked like Castle's daughter.<p>

Jordan stared at the screen as the information appeared below the victim's picture. Jessica Miles. Seventeen. A student at York Prep. Time of death was estimated to be around two or three pm. She had left school early for a doctor's appointment and never made it. Just like the other victim the stab wounds created a pattern that was meant to be a copy of those found on Johanna Beckett. There had been no viable forensic evidence from this crime scene either.

The thought of calling Castle and telling him had almost crossed her mind, but she had pushed it away just as fast. If either of them caught wind of what was happening they would head back in the blink of an eye and she would rather them safe and somewhat ignorant in Venice than dead and informed in the city.

Unfortunately, the second body meant that this wasn't going to stop. The killer was trying to draw Beckett out of hiding; he was assuming that she was being kept informed, and that she would show herself to stop the killings. They were all fairly certain that the killer himself was the man using the name Lockwood; only Montgomery would be able to tell them who was holding Lockwood's leash.

"All right," she finally said to Avery. "It's time to move."

They pulled up in front of Montgomery's house around seven-thirty in Jordan's FBI-issued black SUV. Through the front windows, they could see the family sitting down to dinner. Avery shook his head. "Here we go again," he muttered under his breath. Jordan just shook her head and got out of the car. Avery followed her up the walk, standing behind her as she rang the doorbell.

Montgomery himself answered the door. "Can I –" He paused. "Agent Shaw?"

Shaw showed him her badge. "Captain, I'm going to have to ask that you and your family come with us, please. Right now."

"My family?" Montgomery looked gobsmacked. "What's this about?"

"Captain, you know exactly what it's about," Shaw replied. "And since it's likely this house is being watched, I would really appreciate it if you would bring your family _now_ so that we don't get shot standing here."

Montgomery stared at both agents for a moment longer before he turned to call for his family. He disappeared a little ways back into his house and Jordan kept her eye on him while Avery continued to keep watch on the outside. Jordan could see the Captain's wife and two daughters coming around the corner when the shots rang out loud and clear. The family screamed and Montgomery pulled his gun, keeping close to them and staying low.

Jordan called out for Avery, pausing when his response was slow and pain filled. She turned from where she was crouching just inside the doorway, spotting her partner just a few feet away near the Captain's vehicle. The details were hard to make out in the darkness, but it looked like he was holding his shoulder from what she could see. Agent Shaw turned to Montgomery, her features stern and just a little pissed off.

"Set the alarm."

He got up without hesitation, staying out of sight of any of the windows until he set off the burglar alarm. Only a minute or so passed before they heard the rapid approach of sirens and Jordan knew it was their best chance for escape. She helped Montgomery get his family to her vehicle before she turned to go after Avery, unsure of how bad his wounds were, only to find him right behind her with a tight smile. "I'm good. Let's go."

She climbed in quickly from the passenger side, not willing to risk a run around the vehicle's hood; Avery followed her in and she peeled out, rounding a corner just as the first flashing light appeared on the other end of the block. She flipped her lights on another block or so down, engaging in some evasive driving to make sure they weren't being followed.

Avery, meanwhile, was on the phone with headquarters, talking to the rest of the team. "Yeah, that's right," he was saying. "Set up the safe house for four – two adults, two kids. No, not that one, the other one – the one in Jersey. And send Grey to Manhattan General to pick me up; I'm gonna have Agent Shaw drop me off there. Nah, just grazed me, but I might need stitches."

In the back seat, she heard the younger of the two girls whimper. "Daddy, what's going on?"

"It's… it's a long story, Baby," she heard Montgomery say, sounding tired and resigned. "I'll try to explain later."

"There are some bad people who are coming after your Daddy," Shaw spoke up. "Because they don't like some of the things he's done."

"Putting people in jail, you mean?" the other girl asked.

Shaw nodded. "Exactly. So I'm going to take you all someplace safe, so they won't get you."

"Are you a police officer, too?" the little one inquired.

Shaw grinned. "Kind of. I work for the FBI."

She saw Montgomery's wife turn and give him a long, measured look and winced inwardly. His rough night was just going to keep getting rougher before it was over.

* * *

><p>Esposito and Ryan were both waiting at the interrogation room when Agent Shaw entered with their Captain at her side. His family was absent; they had gone on to the safe house. It was just him and Shaw. Both younger detectives were flanked by the two FBI agents who had brought them and none of them looked happy. It was late, but they needed answers now.<p>

The resigned look on Roy's face only deepened when he saw his two detectives at the end of the hallway. Esposito looked ready for blood as he stood beside his partner, hands clenched at his sides. Ryan looked much the same, but the betrayal was easy to see in his eyes.

Jordan knew how they felt. She had known ever since they came to her with the facts they had. This wasn't going to be easy, but she had a feeling they could handle it. "Room One," she informed them before steering the Captain in there and then disappearing herself.

Esposito and Ryan waited a moment before following her. They had to get the answers before it was too late for the partners in hiding.

She stopped them at the door. "Observation," she said quietly, her voice low so that Montgomery could not hear her. "And do not argue with me. This is officially an investigation into the death of an FBI agent; you cannot be in here right now."

Esposito looked like he wanted to argue, but Ryan understood. He pulled his partner back out of the room and they went into the observation room, watching through the mirror as Jordan took Beckett's usual seat at the table. She folded her hands and studied Montgomery. "It's hard, isn't it?" she finally said. "Being on that side of the table, I mean. Being questioned like you were just a common street thug. You're a decorated member of the NYPD. Captain of the Twelfth Precinct. You have a lot of officers who look up to you, who respect you. Like those two detectives I just sent back out." She paused. "Like Kate Beckett."

Montgomery's face tightened, just for a second. When it did, Esposito turned away from the window. "I can't watch this," he muttered to himself, and left the room. Ryan stayed.

"You told your subordinates that you'd never met Detectives Raglan or McCallister," she said. "But that wasn't true, was it?" She opened the single slim folder she'd brought in with her, removing the crumpled photograph Esposito had torn in half at Yanavich's bar. It had been taped together. She turned the photograph so he could see it. "According to Mike Yanavich, they trained you."

He remained silent, staring at the picture. It brought back a thousand different memories and bad decisions. He could still remember what happened in that alley all those years ago. Roy still remembered the first time he had laid eyes upon Kate Beckett.

Jordan was staring at him intently from the other side of the table, trying to read him through his body language. She was about to push a little more when she saw the shift in his demeanor. "I was a rookie. They were two hot shot detectives that took me under their wing."

Ryan stared through the one-way mirror, clenching his jaw and his hands. He forced himself not to look away. This was for Beckett and Castle. For his partners. He had to see it through.

Jordan looked down at the picture and then back up at the man across from her. Something in her gut told them they had the third cop, but maybe it wasn't all the way it seemed to be. "Just… tell me what happened."

He sat there for a long moment, not speaking, and then suddenly seemed to crumble in on himself, slumping forward and putting his face in his hands. "You have to swear you'll keep my family safe," he finally said softly. "They have to disappear."

"I swear," Shaw said softly. "But you have to talk to me."

He nodded. "I was a rookie when it happened," he said again. "McCallister and Raglan were heroes to me, and I believed in what we were doing. We were just going to snatch Pulgatti that night; Arman wasn't even supposed to be there. He reached for my gun and I heard the shot. I didn't even know it was my gun that went off until he went down. Then McCallister… I remember him pulling me into the van, saying 'It's okay, kid, it's not your fault. Happens in this town every day.'" He took a deep, shuddering breath.

After a long moment of silence, Jordan said, "And then?"

He shrugged, sitting back. "They tried to drown it. But I put it all into the job. I became the best cop I could be. And then, Beckett… I felt the hand of God, Agent Shaw. I knew He was giving me another chance."

Shaw nodded. "Did you kill Johanna Beckett?"

"No." He shook his head firmly. "No, that was years later. But she still died because of what we did that night."

"What do you mean?"

"He figured out what we'd done. I don't know how. He could have turned us in, but he didn't; he demanded the ransom money and he used it to become what he is today, and God help me, but that may be my greatest sin."

There was a very long silence in the room before Shaw spoke again. "I need a name, Roy," she said softly.

He closed his eyes and sat there, quite still, for a full minute before opening them again. He looked her in the eyes, and he gave her the name.

* * *

><p>"Dammit!"<p>

Esposito's voice rang out in the nearly empty precinct followed by the crash of a chair hitting the floor. Ryan stood back and watched his partner, clenching his jaw. Another chair hit the ground before Agent Shaw cleared her throat and stepped forward.

"I already put through the call to Avery. He's running down the paper trails we need to bring this home," she informed in a tired voice. They had been running for hours and she was ready to see her family. "What do we know about him?"

"He's a senator. Powerful. He runs in tight circles." Ryan offered after a moment of consideration.

"We can't go up against him. He's got more resources than we can ever hope to have." Esposito flung himself into one of the chairs he had so recently been kicking. "This guy will bury us."

Shaw shook her head. "We can do this," she said. "Trust me. If Stevens and Gingrich could go down, so can this guy. But we have to make sure our case is rock solid."

"We've got Montgomery's testimony," Ryan said, his face tightening only slightly.

"His word against the Senator's," Shaw replied. "We've got to have evidence. Money trails, paper trails. Fingerprints and smoking guns would be nice, too." She flipped through some papers in her folder. "Avery's running down Dick Coonan, to see if there's anything there. I've also got my team checking on this Lockwood character; we're going to see if we can find a real identity. Someone somewhere has to know something. It's just a matter of finding the right person and getting them to talk."

"And what if we run out if time?" Esposito snapped, feeling his loose grip on his anger disappearing. "What if they find Beckett?" he asked in a quiet voice. Ryan stared at his partner and Jordan closed her eyes.

"I can't make any promises but we can only work with what we have. This man will have lot of safeguards in place, but there has to be something more. He's had Lockwood assassinate people to keep them quiet. That means there are still loose ends."

The room fell silent as they all took in the information that had just been laid out on the table. So far they had kept information from Castle and Beckett, but Jordan knew that was about to change. They were going to have to tell them so they could be better prepared to defend themselves.

"Tonight we need rest. Go home. Be with your people. We'll reconvene in the morning when we have more information and fresh eyes," she stated softly. They needed rest or they would just be spinning their wheels.

* * *

><p>The Senator turned away from the window to face the man who had just entered his office. "Ah," he said. "Come in, come in. Have a seat."<p>

The man in the black suit came forward and seated himself in one of the leather chairs facing the Senator's desk. "I got your message," he said, somewhat nervous. "How can I help you, sir?"

"I'm concerned," the Senator said. "Have you seen the news out of New York? A captain of the NYPD missing, along with his family; the house burned, and the NYPD at a loss?"

"I have, Sir."

The Senator studied the black-clad man for a long moment. "Are you aware that the NYPD captain who is missing is Roy Montgomery, who is Detective Katherine Beckett's immediate superior?"

The nervousness was replaced with wariness. "I was, sir. I wasn't aware that you were acquainted with Detective Beckett." The words _or me_ hung in the silence.

"I've met Detective Beckett on occasion. Lovely girl. And even if I hadn't met her, I'd still be aware of her, what with that writer shadowing her. Makes her a bit higher-profile than your average homicide detective." He leaned forward. "Let me lay this out for you. Roy Montgomery is a personal friend of mine. He and I go way back – did you know that I was a cop at the Twelfth, years ago? Organized Crime Division. Montgomery was always Homicide, but we got along well. So. My personal friend Roy Montgomery is missing. So, also, is his protégé, Detective Beckett."

The black-clad man started slightly. "I hadn't heard that."

"It's being kept under wraps. There's corruption in the NYPD, and the FBI has gotten involved. There seem to be ties to an old case." The Senator steepled his fingers. "I am not asking for sensitive information," he said carefully. "I am merely asking to know if my friend and his protégé are safe. Do you understand?"

The man in black nodded. "I do. I can't promise you anything, Sir, but I can try to find out."

"Excellent. I appreciate your help more than you know." The Senator stood, and the man in the black suit stood as well. The Senator offered his hand.

The other man shook it. "I'll be in touch as soon as I can."

"I look forward to hearing from you, Agent Sorenson," the Senator said. He remained standing as the FBI agent left his office. Then he turned back to the window. "Yes," he murmured to himself. "I very much look forward to that."

* * *

><p>"Kate! Can you get that? My hands are kind of full!" Castle yelled into the living room, his hands literally covered in flour as he attempted to make a homemade breakfast. Alexis was lending her assistance while Kate relaxed on the couch and read his latest manuscript for Rook and Heat. She sat the stack of papers in the coffee table and sprinted up the stairs to their room.<p>

She grabbed the phone and answered it quickly with a smile on her face. "Hello."

"Beckett," Jordan's voice was a sobering sound and it immediately brought Kate down from the earlier happiness of the morning. Something discomforting settled low in her stomach and she clutched the phone a little tighter to her ear.

"What happened?"

And then Kate fell silent. She listened as Jordan set all of the information before her. She felt her stomach roll when the female agent described the two murder victims and the scenes. The messages made her blood boil and her vision spin.

Hearing about her Captain made both her heart and head hurt in ways she didn't care to dwell on. The more Jordan told her the more Kate felt her stomach rise to somewhere in the vicinity of her throat.

She didn't hear Castle call her name. She didn't even notice when he entered the room. Rick stood in the doorway as he took in her pale face and trembling hands. A wave of dread rolled over him as he heard her mumbled goodbye before the phone dropped from her grasp.

"Kate...?" his voice was quiet and filled with worry. She glanced up at him and he felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. "Kate –"

"Donald Myers," her voice shook with the name and Castle paused at the familiarity of it.

"Yeah, he's a senator."

"No, Castle," she paused and tried to take a steadying breath as she stared into his eyes. "He's the man who murdered my mom."

* * *

><p><em>We appreciate any and all feedback.<em>


	10. Chapter 10

Will Sorenson strolled down a back hallway on the twenty-third floor of 26 Federal Plaza, attempting to look cool and casual. He'd heard that Agent Jordan Shaw was back in from D.C.; the last time Shaw had been there, she'd worked with Kate on a serial killer case. Now she was back, and Kate was missing. There had to be a connection.

He'd already checked for himself on his return to New York; her apartment was empty and clearly had been for several days. Everything in her refrigerator was expired or moldy, and the two apples on her kitchen cabinet were slowly desiccating. There had also been a bloodstain in the middle of her living room floor – one that had already dried into the wood.

He came to a stop in front of one of the spare offices that was usually empty; today, it contained one determined-looking red-haired agent. She was studying a case file and he hovered for a moment, unsure of how she would take the interruption.

Agent Shaw rubbed the back of her neck, closing her eyes for a moment. She had been here for hours, going over the old and new leads. Avery would be delivering the information on the Senator soon. She hadn't slept well the night before after calling Kate. The woman's silence on the other end had spoken volumes.

She was still studying the file when she felt eyes on her back. Jordan turned, staring at the unfamiliar man. He seemed like he wanted something but she wasn't in the mood to sit around and wait. He had to be an FBI agent but obviously he didn't know who she was.

"Can I help you?" she asked after another moment passed and he said nothing.

"Agent Shaw," he said, "I need to ask a favor."

She raised an eyebrow. "In regards to…?"

He glanced up and down the hall and then stepped just inside the door. "Kate Beckett," he said in a very low voice.

She shut her file immediately, folding her hands on top of it. "Please close the door." When he had done so, she said, "Who are you?"

He offered her his ID. "Will Sorenson," he said. "Kate and I… we're… friends."

She looked at him skeptically. "Friends."

He shrugged. "We were involved. It's been years, but…"

"I see." She studied him for a moment. "And what exactly makes you think I have any information about her?"

He gave her a look. "It wasn't hard to work out. The last time you were here, you worked with her. Now she's missing, her Captain is missing, the writer monkey is missing, and here you sit."

Jordan leaned back in her seat, studying him with cool eyes. He seemed sincere but a part of her didn't fully trust him. Everything about this case was dangerous and they were playing it close. "I am not at the command of the NYPD, Agent Sorenson. That was one case, and it was over a year ago."

The look in his face gave nothing away but she could see the agitation building in his movements. Will Sorenson was a man who really wanted answers and she really didn't want to give them to him. "But you're back," he pointed out once more and she narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Even if I am consulting with the NYPD, they are not solely made up of the homicide division. Why are you so interested in their whereabouts?" she had already asked the question but she wanted the real answer. Something more was motivating him.

"Because I'm worried about Kate," he replied firmly. "Look, I'm not asking you to put me in touch with her or even tell me where she is. All I want to know is that she's safe."

She studied him for another moment and finally shook her head. "I can't help you, Agent Sorenson. I'm not working with Detective Beckett and I have no idea where she may be."

He studied her in return. "If you don't mind me asking, why _are _you in New York?"

"The nature of my current assignment is strictly need-to-know, and you don't," she replied. "If you did, you'd be working with me."

He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I just want to know if she's all right."

"Detective Beckett is a big girl, Agent Sorensen," Shaw replied mildly. "I'm quite sure that, wherever she is, she's taking perfectly good care of herself. Having worked with her, I'm fairly certain that the one thing she's _not_ in need of is a white knight on his charger rushing in to save her from a dragon."

Will waited a moment before turning away from Jordan and heading back toward the closed door. He pulled it open and waited a beat. "Goodbye, Agent Shaw."

He left without another word and she sighed, leaning back in her chair. Jordan waited a beat before dialing Avery and asking for background information on Will Sorenson. Kate had been missing for more than a few days and for him to just now be interested... something had changed.

Will stood just down the hallway, racking his brain for a way to find out about Kate and her monkey. The only way he had in mind was to sneak a peek of the file. It was unprofessional, but he had to know.

Then it occurred to him that there were other ways of finding out what was going on. From Shaw's reaction, he was fairly certain that she was in fact working with Kate and probably knew exactly where Kate was. If that were the case, Shaw was likely working with WITSEC – which meant that there would be _something_ in the system. He went back down to his office and settled himself in front of his computer, then pulled up a system search and entered Kate's name.

It didn't take long to find her, and the case details that were available surprised him. He had known about her mother's death, that the case had gone cold and that she herself had tried to solve it for quite some time. But that it was related to other murders, including the murder of an FBI agent, was not something he had known. There was nothing about her current whereabouts, so he tried another search, this time on the writer's name. There was even less in that file, and all of it related to the earlier serial killer case.

Backing out again, Sorenson thought for a moment, then entered Roy Montgomery's name. That file, he was surprised and perturbed to discover, was completely off-limits to him. Its security was strictly limited to need-to-know. The only information he got that was at all useful was a single line: Remanded into custody May 23 pending adjudication.

Sorenson leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen. Remanded? And only the previous day? What the hell was going on in the Twelfth Precinct? Now he really had to know. He'd been reluctant to reach out, knowing that Kate's team was not likely to respond well to him, but he had to try. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed. The line was picked up by a switchboard operator, and he spoke. "Yes, Will Sorenson, FBI, for Javier Esposito, please."

Esposito heard his phone vibrating on his desk. He had been deep in conversation with Lanie and Ryan and he wasn't pleased by the distraction. He snatched up his phone and flipped it open, holding it to his ear. "Esposito," he answered in a tight voice as he shifted in his chair.

"Detective Esposito, this is Agent Will Sorenson. I don't know if you remember-"

"Oh yeah, bro. I remember you." Esposito's voice had a cutting edge as he narrowed his eyes. He had never really liked Will all that much to begin with and it still held true. The agent had broken Beckett's heart and he didn't play that way. "What are you calling for?"

Will took a deep breath and exhaled before he said anything. "I want to know where Kate is. She just disappeared, and the writer monkey is gone too. Not to mention your Captain was arrested yesterday –"

"Look, bro, even if I knew where Beckett was what makes you think I would tell? She doesn't need you tryin' to be her savior or anything, Sorenson." Javier took a deep breath, feeling Lanie's hand on his shoulder and Ryan's eyes against his back. "The best thing you can do is back off, man. We don't know where Beckett is and I suggest you stop trying to find her." With that Esposito shut his phone and left Will with another dead end.

Will sighed. He sat there for a long moment, staring at the computer, and then finally dialed another number. When this one was answered he said, "Will Sorenson for Senator Myers, please. I'll hold."

He did in fact hold – for about five minutes – before the Senator came on the line. "Agent Sorenson," Myers said. "Do you have news for me?"

"Not much, Senator, I'm afraid, and what I do have is bad news. Captain Montgomery's situation is classified need-to-know, and I don't have a valid need to know, so the agent on the case wouldn't tell me anything. She actually denied being on the case, but I'm pretty sure she is."

"Not to worry, Agent Sorenson. Just tell me what you know. That will be enough."

"Yes, sir. What I do know, Senator, is that Captain Montgomery has been remanded into custody as of yesterday, pending adjudication."

There was a long silence. "And what exactly does that mean, coming from the FBI, Agent Sorenson?"

"I'm afraid, sir, that it means Captain Montgomery has been involved in some kind of crime under the FBI's jurisdiction. This particular situation appears to involve the murder of an FBI agent some years ago."

The Senator became quiet for a moment, racking his brain. He clutched the phone a little tighter, shifting so that he could look out the window of his office. "An FBI agent? That doesn't sound like Roy at all. Did there happen to be a name?"

Will paused for a moment, racking his brain for the name he had glanced over. "Agent Arman. Bob Arman."

"Thank you, Agent Sorenson. If any more information crosses your path I would like to know. I trust we will be in touch again soon." Without another word the line went dead.

* * *

><p>Myers paced. He rarely allowed himself to experience nervousness – it was bad for the digestive system – but he paced anyway. The words Sorenson had spoken rang over and over in his head. <em>Montgomery – remanded – adjudication – Arman.<em> There could be little doubt that Montgomery would talk, especially if he thought his family – including the Beckett girl – was safe. Damn him! He should have had Lockwood shut him up when it became obvious that they were compromised. He should have had Coonan shut all three of them up. No, he should have had Coonan handle Beckett. Everything would have been _fine_ if Beckett hadn't been set loose.

He considered the matter. Something had happened to tip Beckett off. Montgomery had been very certain that Beckett had given up on trying to find her mother's murderer; something had happened that tipped her off to Coonan. Somehow, she had discovered that Coonan was the one who'd gotten his hands dirty on that one. How?

It didn't matter. He shook his head firmly as though to clear it of the distractions. Right now, he needed to be focused on what he was going to do to get out of this mess. He strode to the desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a rarely-used cell phone. He dialed a number, waited until it was answered, and spoke. "They're in the goddamn witness protection program."

The man known as Hal Lockwood was silent for a long moment. "That does complicate things," he admitted, looking down at the freshly-killed body which lay at his feet. The man had been forty-something, well built, with sandy brown hair. "Can you find them?"

Myers fell silent for a moment, contemplating his reaches. He had a few more connections at his disposal that he could use to try and track them down. Apparently, he had underestimated them all and that was not something he would be doing again. He gripped the phone a little tighter before relaxing, tilting his head as he stared out the windows of his office. "I have contacts. This, however, is your job. Or have you forgotten?"

Lockwood tilted his head to the side, studying the murder scene. He eyed the wall across from the body, thinking of the message he would be leaving there soon. He toed the dead man in the side with his boot and he felt himself relax a little. "I haven't forgotten."

The Senator nodded to himself, turning to his desk as he rifled through one of the drawers until he found what he was looking for. He rattled off a number over the phone before shoving the paper back into its place and locking it up. "He will be your assistance during the chase and the inevitable take down. I expect a call within the next few days. Understood?"

"Understood," Lockwood replied, running a gloved finger through the blood pooling at his feet before he hung up.

He contemplated the wall above the dead man's head, then raised his finger and began to write. As the words formed under his quickly-moving finger, he smiled wider, thinking of what was to come. He did love a challenge.

* * *

><p>"'Ready or not, here I come'?" Ryan read aloud. "That doesn't sound good."<p>

"He knows something," Esposito replied. He was silent for a moment, then said, "This has something to do with that call yesterday."

"From…" Ryan swallowed. "That ex of hers?"

Esposito nodded. "I gotta make a phone call."

* * *

><p>When Jordan Shaw hung up the phone after her brief conversation with Esposito, she didn't make another call. Instead, she stood up and walked through the office, her face a mask of rage that she didn't bother hiding. She burst into Will Sorenson's office like avenging fury. "Who the hell did you talk to, and what did you tell them?"<p>

Sorenson jerked back and away from this vision of wrath. "No one!"

"You're lying, Sorenson! Who the hell did you talk to yesterday about Kate Beckett?"

Will bristled at her tone, somewhat intimidated, but not nearly enough to back down in his own office. "I already told you, Shaw! I talked to no one about Kate!"

Anger and hostility radiated off of both agents and out into the hallway through the open office door. A few other agents stopped and stared in surprise, not really comprehending what was going on. Jordan looked anything but happy as she advanced on Sorenson, slapping his desk a little harder than necessary and catching more attention from their spectators outside. The staring match continued long after one of the men outside thought to call Agent Avery. Jordan's partner arrived a few short minutes later, somewhat surprised and confused at what was going on.

"Agent Shaw, is there a problem?" he asked quietly, deferring to his superior officer first. She had mentioned this guy stopping by the other day and asking about their refugees, but Jordan hadn't said a word today concerning him. Avery was only somewhat confused, though, because he could partially put some of the pieces together without much work.

"I want him arrested," she offered, stepping back just a little, enough that she could make easy eye contact with her partner. Avery raised an eyebrow, surprised at her request. Meanwhile, Will tensed up in his seat before surging out of it.

"This is ridiculous. You have nothing to arrest me for. I told you –"

"Now, Avery. Start with obstruction, interfering with witnesses and interfering with a Federal investigation. Get him into an interrogation room." Shaw turned and strode from the room while the New York agents gawked and Avery moved to follow his boss's instructions.

Sorenson sat in the interrogation room alone for perhaps fifteen minutes, cuffed to the chair, before Shaw arrived, that same folder in her hands that he'd seen her looking at the previous day. She opened it, removed an eight-by-ten glossy photo, and slapped it down on the table. "This body was found yesterday morning."

He gasped. "Oh, my God, is that – ?"

"No." She slapped a second photo down. "This one was found yesterday afternoon. She's a dead ringer for Richard Castle's daughter, in case you were wondering. Take a good long look, Sorenson. Read those messages. 'Come out and play,' and 'the party's getting started.' Now, what do you think those mean, Sorenson?"

"He's looking for Kate, obviously," Sorenson replied. "What does that have to do with me?"

She pulled a third photo out of the folder, slapping it down on top of the other two. "This one was found this morning. 'Ready or not, here I come.' Does that sound to you like someone who's still looking?"

Sorenson swallowed. "No."

"Exactly," Shaw replied. "And the only thing – _the only thing_ – that's changed between yesterday and today is you. So I'm going to ask you one more time, Sorenson, because we're checking your phone records and your financials and everything else, and we _will_ find what we're looking for. _Who the hell did you talk to?_"

Will tensed up in defense, looking away from the photos and at Jordan. He didn't like that she was trying to pin this as being his fault. "I already told you, I didn't talk to anyone about Kate. He was interested in Montgomery," he stated firmly, holding his ground. He only looked a little confused when both Avery and Jordan looked at each other. Suddenly, the tension in the room snapped and he wondered what he had said to make the game change.

"Who was interested in Montgomery, Agent Sorenson?" Avery asked, stepping out of the corner and giving the man his most concentrated look. Jordan stood her ground as well, the both of them effectively staring down Agent Sorenson. Not that it was needed, because he replied without further questioning.

"Senator Myers called and asked me about Montgomery. Said his old friend had gone missing and he was curious about what had happened. I called him after trying to get information about it all, but the files are locked down. All I could tell him was that the man was in custody."

The moment he finished Jordan leaned closer, looking just like a tigress getting ready to strike. She looked right at him when she next spoke in a voice that was somewhat cold and very much dangerous. "If anything happens to them, Agent Sorenson, it is on your head."

"What are you talking about?" Sorenson demanded. "Look, I tried to ask you, but you stonewalled me. What did you expect me to do, with her missing?"

"I expected you to _act like a Federal agent!_" Shaw shouted, smacking the tabletop. "And instead, you acted like a jealous boyfriend, going off half-cocked based on personal emotional issues, _just like he wanted you to do!_"

She forced herself to be silent for a long time, her eyes closed, trying desperately to keep her temper in check. Finally she opened her eyes again and looked into Sorenson's face. "I hope you're pleased with yourself, Agent Sorenson. Because of your inability to take a hint, you may very well have just cost Kate Beckett and both Castles their lives."

With that, she stood and left the room, taking her file with her and leaving Sorenson alone with his reflection and the three murder scene photos.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Lockwood, I presume?" the man stepped out of the shadows, tipping his hat somewhat in greeting. Lockwood stood near the mouth of the alley, his eyes sizing up the mystery across from him. The Senator had given him a number to call and he had. Already, this man said he had progress in tracking down Beckett and her writer monkey. He didn't know if he trusted his word, but there was only one way to find out.<p>

"I am. And you are?"

The man across from him smiled in a way that was more sadistic than friendly as he pulled his off his hat. His eyes were the first thing that caught Lockwood's attention. They were such a dark blue he had originally mistaken them for black, but it was more than that. They were cold.

"My name is Jerry. Jerry Dunn," he offered with that same smile that was cold enough to match his eyes. Lockwood only nodded his head. An alias, he supposed, much like the one that he used in his business. Mr. Dunn put his hat back on before he advanced, sizing up the professional in front of him. His voice was smooth and there was an accent that Lockwood couldn't quite place. "I was informed that you are the one who will be helping me to dispose of a certain detective and her shadow."

Lockwood narrowed his eyes slightly, flexing his hands. "I think it is the other way around, Mr. Dunn. This is my job and has been for a while."

Dunn laughed, but just like his smile and his eyes the sound was chilling. "Well then, be my guest, Mr. Lockwood. I will be happy to keep my information to myself."

Lockwood gritted his teeth. It was one thing to be a professional in this line of work; it was another to be the kind of douchebag who thought he was the next great Bond villain. "Fine, Dunn," he replied. "You want to play like you're in charge? Whatever helps you sleep at night. Have you got their location or not?"

"Not yet," Dunn replied after a long pause. "But we will soon enough. Come with me." He stepped out onto the street and headed for the front door of a nearby building. Lockwood followed. They entered the lobby of an unremarkable mid-range apartment building. There was no doorman, but there was a call box, and Dunn pressed a button.

After a moment, a voice came back. "Yeah?"

"Neo," Dunn said. "Let me up." There was a buzz, and the inner door opened, granting them access to the elevator.

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. "Neo?"

Dunn made a disparaging noise. "Stupid kid thinks he's Keanu Reeves in _The Matrix_. I don't care; he's good at his job." He paused as the elevator doors opened, giving Lockwood a significant look. "Good enough that I keep him alive."

Lockwood shrugged. "He's nothing to me."

Dunn nodded. The two men entered the elevator and headed up to the fifth floor, where Dunn headed straight for apartment 512. The door was partway open, and Dunn entered. Lockwood followed, shutting the door behind him and looking around curiously. The place was packed with what looked like extremely high-end computer equipment; Lockwood idly wondered what the kid was up to but didn't really care.

Kid he was – a gangly boy of nineteen or so, still pimply, with spiked brown hair and the kind of pale skin that comes from a lifetime of shunning the outdoors. He was sitting in front of a bank of monitors, playing some kind of combat game. "Got to go," he said into his headset. "Work. Be back later." He shut the game down, tossed his headset onto the desk, and turned to greet his visitors with a pleasant smile. "Gentlemen," he said. "What service can I perform for you this evening which will be immediately erased from my memory banks once you're gone?"

Dunn snorted, but walked over to stand in front of the kid. "Hack," he said. "I need a location."

The boy immediately turned back to his machine. "What database?"

"FBI."

To his credit, the kid didn't even pause. "Data string?"

"Last name Beckett, two Ts. First name Katherine. Alias Kate."

The kid banged away at his keyboard for a long moment. Then he gave a low whistle. "This one's locked up tight," he said. "They _definitely_ don't want you finding her." He reached for a sheet of paper and a pencil.

Lockwood watched, impressed, as the kid placed the paper on a thick pane of glass to write – there would be no impressions on the surface below the paper. The kid scribbled several lines of information, then folded the paper in half. He tossed his pencil to the side and punched a command into the computer. "There," he said. "That'll clean up my tracks. Good luck finding me, Fibbies!" With a smirk, he picked up the folded paper and turned to Dunn, an expectant expression on his face.

Dunn reached into his jacket and pulled out a large bundle of cash, dropping it onto the desk. The kid handed over the paper. "There you are, gentlemen," he said, whisking the cash out of sight. "I'd say it's been a pleasure doing business with you, but I'm afraid I have no idea who you are, because you are not in fact here. In fact, I believe I'd go so far as to say I've never seen either of you before in my life." With that, he turned and pulled his headset back on, restarting his game. Dunn and Lockwood let themselves out.

* * *

><p><em>We appreciate any and all feedback.<em>


	11. Chapter 11

Kate had been awake for hours. Agent Shaw had called earlier and informed them that their position could be compromised, but it wasn't wise to return to the city just yet. She had offered to move them again, but Kate didn't want to run. She wanted to fight this, and so she had declined. Now she was sitting on the couch while both Rick and his daughter continued to sleep on soundly in the early morning. She had thought about waking up her partner, but he needed the sleep right now. Just a little while longer and he would be completely healed and the rest would help.

So, as she had been doing for the past hour, she stared at files compiled on the table in front of her and wondered how she had managed to get to this point. It had started the moment when her mother died and now thirteen years later it was all rushing to a head. Kate Beckett had always been ready to find the man behind her mother's murder, but now that she had the challenge was in getting out alive. More importantly, it was making sure that all of her people survived as well.

She was considering how she felt about Will being the final straw when she heard Rick yelling for her. Kate jumped up immediately and rounded the couch, taking off up the stairs to the third floor and to their room. She paused in the doorway, surprised to see that Castle was still asleep, but he was tangled up in the sheets. His face wasn't relaxed and she quickly walked over to the bed and reached out to touch him.

"Rick. Wake up."

He grabbed her hand. "Kate. Kate, no!"

She gripped his shoulder with her other hand, shaking hard. "Rick!" she said, louder. "Wake up!"

He sat up straight, his other hand grabbing at her, and she moved her hands, cupping his face and looking into his eyes. "Rick," she said gently, her thumbs stroking his cheekbones. "Wake up. Wake up. I'm here."

His eyes slowly cleared as he stared at her, coming to his senses. She knew he was fully awake when he reached out and pulled her down into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. "Oh, God," he whispered, burying his hand in her hair. "Oh, thank God. You're okay."

"I'm okay," she confirmed, hugging him back. "I promise."

Castle continued to hold Kate long after his breathing returned to normal and his fears had disappeared. She was curled into his body and he really didn't want to let her go. He had always been able to handle his nightmares but something had changed. Since they had been told about the Senator he had felt unsettled. Something was going to happen and he could just feel it in the pit of his stomach. He had always worried about Kate, but now it wasn't just Kate. It was Alexis and their parents and their friends back in the city.

"Rick…?" she pulled back a little, running her fingers along his cheek. It took him a moment to look at her and when he did his blue eyes weren't as light as usual. There was a dark undertone that left her stomach rolling in apprehension and something else. This wasn't the Richard Castle she was familiar with, but all the same it was still the man she was in love with. His lack of response had her worried and she had barely opened her mouth and said, "Castle," before his lips were colliding with hers hard enough to bruise. Kate felt a force behind the kiss that was much like their undercover kiss months ago and yet so different.

The desperate edge was there but it was swallowed whole by his other emotions. His arms tightened around her body and she let herself be pressed tight to his chest while they kissed. She raised her arms, wrapping them around his neck, letting her fingers trail into his hair as his lips slowly made their way down her neck. "Kate," she heard him whisper against her pulse. "Oh, God, Kate."

The physical evidence of his desire was hard against her thigh and she pressed herself toward it instinctively, wanting to feel him touch her. He groaned and slid his hands under the hem of her shirt, lifting it off over her head and then bringing his hands back down to cover her back. She wasn't wearing a bra, and her breasts pressed against his tee shirt as his lips made their way across her shoulder. "I love you, Kate," he whispered between each kiss. "God, I love you."

She pressed her own lips to his neck. "I love you, too," she whispered back. "I do, Rick."

He raised his head and looked into her eyes. "Kate," he whispered. "Let me love you."

She swallowed hard. "Your ribs…"

"They're fine," he said shortly. One of his hands ghosted its way up her side to cup her breast. "Please, Kate. I've waited so long… I feel like I can't stand to wait any longer. I want you… I _need_ you."

She closed her eyes against the intensity in his, just for a moment. Then she opened them again and smiled, her own nimble fingers taking hold of the hem of his shirt. "You're _sure_ your ribs are okay?"

He nodded, pressing a kiss to her sternum. "I'm sure."

"Okay." She drew his shirt off, tossing it into the floor after her own. Then she leaned down and pressed a long, decadent kiss to his lips. "Make love to me, Rick."

He made a noise that she categorized as somewhere between a laugh and a groan, and she shivered when his fingers trailed down her back. He was trying to memorize this moment, to print it on his brain in indelible ink. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was fighting against the _just in case_. Just in case this was the only chance he would ever get.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered against her collarbone. "God, I feel like I could talk for hours about how beautiful you are."

She blushed slightly, leaning down to nuzzle behind his ear. "I love the way you touch me," she murmured as his hands cupped her breasts.

He captured her lips in another sensual kiss, then gently laid her backward, his hands trailing down her abdomen to the waistband of her yoga pants. He hooked his fingers in the pants and the panties underneath, drawing them down and off and leaving her exposed to him in the moonlight. He stared at her for a long moment, simply taking her in, and then he leaned down and set his starting point on her body, pressing a gentle open-mouthed kiss to her stomach just above her navel. "You're like fine china," he breathed against her flesh, "with a deep core of polished steel."

He spent a long time exploring her abdomen. "You feel so good," he whispered to her, his hands stroking her taut stomach. "I could sit here and touch you forever." He pressed another kiss to the gentle slope of her belly under her navel and she arched toward him, just a little. He chuckles. "You like that."

"Yes," she breathed. "Touch me, Rick."

He did.

* * *

><p>His breathing was loud in her ear in the aftermath, but comforting as he tried not to rest all of his weight on top of her body. Rick shifted enough to press a kiss to her temple before he got up completely, disappearing into the bathroom to deal with the condom. Kate propped herself up on her elbows, watching her boyfriend with an appreciative grin.<p>

Richard Castle really did have a nice ass.

By the time he returned to bed Kate was already under the covers and had his side pulled down. He climbed in beside her, reaching out to pull her against his side immediately. There was an uncomfortable ache from his ribs but it was the same ache he sometimes felt when taking a showering or getting dressed so he was positive that he hadn't strained himself. She rested her head on his chest as she tangled their legs together with a content sigh. The scent of cherries and something unmistakably Kate Beckett mixed together, overriding his senses, but he didn't care.

A comfortable silenced had settled by the time Kate remembered there was something she had to tell Castle. His fingers had moved up and down her back in soothing motions since they cuddled up and she didn't want it to end, but she shifted until she was looking down at him. Castle looked up immediately, his brow furrowing in worry. "Is something wrong?"

"We need to talk, Rick."

He tried not to let his heart clench at those five deadly words, focusing on keeping himself calm when he replied, "About?"

He must not have done a very good job at donning his poker face, because she smiled slightly, leaned up and kissed him. "Not _us_. Stop looking like you think I'm about to break up with you."

He let out a sigh of relief and kissed her back, hard, just because she was amazing. "All right," he said when he released her. "About what, then?"

She laughed softly, cuddling against him again. "About New York. About Lockwood. About the fact that my asshat ex-boyfriend may have just given us up."

He chuckled. "You actually used the word 'asshat' in a sentence."

Kate slapped his chest lightly, causing Castle to laugh even harder. She joined in just seconds after and waited until they were both calm before adding to her earlier statement. "Will is in contact with the Senator. Something he said might've blown our cover in the end. Jordan offered to have us moved, but…"

Rick shifted, gripping Kate gently under the chin and tilting her head back until he could look into her eyes. The situation was serious and all clowning was gone from his expression. "But what, Kate?" he asked softly even though he had a good idea of what she was going to say anyway. He always did.

"I'm tired of running, Rick. I'm ready for this to end. For ten years I didn't know the truth behind my mother's murder, and then I met you. Now the case has been blown wide open and I just want it to be over. I want to be able to go back to the city. I want to know that our parents and our friends aren't in danger because of Lockwood or anyone else."

Kate held his gaze and after a moment Castle nodded his head, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. "Then we'll fight. You and me. Together."

She nodded, and for a long moment they were silent together. Then she spoke again. "We have to get Alexis out of the line of fire."

"She leaves on the first flight we can get her on."

"Where will you send her?"

"Her mother." He sighed, settling back with her in his arms. "It's not an ideal solution, but it'll do for now."

She nodded again. "Once we have a plan, I'm going to call Jordan and tell her to let the Senator know where we are. Let them come to us."

Castle rolled over, shifting until he was laying on his side and her back was pressed against his chest. He brushed his lips against her neck and closed his eyes, holding her tight. "How about we get some sleep and then I'll find a plane for Alexis."

Kate wasn't exactly sure if she would be able to go back to sleep, but she knew that Castle was tired and she wouldn't deny him anything. She really couldn't, not after everything he had done for her. "Sounds like a plan," she whispered quietly, surprising herself when she fell asleep moments after his breathing evened out.

* * *

><p>All the necessary calls had been made and Castle had a flight for Alexis in less than an hour. She had packed her stuff while he made all of the necessary arrangements with the airline, Meredith, and even Jordan Shaw herself. He was less than happy to send his baby girl off, but he knew it was for the best. The last thing he wanted was for Alexis to get hurt. He knocked on her bedroom door quietly, not wanting to wake Kate who was still asleep in their bed.<p>

"Ready to go, Pumpkin?" he asked quietly as he stood in the doorway. Alexis turned to look at him and he felt his chest tighten. Castle never liked being away from her but this could actually be permanent if something happened to him. He crossed the distance between them and wrapped her up in a tight hug, not even waiting for her answer to his previous question. She hugged him back for all of five minutes before she pulled away.

"Be safe, okay Dad?"

He nodded, squeezing her once more before letting go completely. He grabbed up her bags, feeling her hand wrap around his at the last moment. Rick turned to look at his daughter, waiting her out. Alexis took a deep breath and then let it go, trying to give him a smile. "Keep her safe too, okay?"

"I will," he replied, his voice soft. "Now come on; let's get you on that flight."

He left a note for Kate on her bedside table; he wasn't letting Alexis out of his sight until he knew she was on that plane to California. She was to check in with him at her stopover in Atlanta and then again to let him know that she was safe with her mother in L.A. After that, she was under strict orders to fully immerse her phone in something liquid before destroying the SIM card and tossing the phone itself.

Shaw was putting a detail on Meredith. That helped greatly with Castle's peace of mind. Even so, he maintained a nervous silence on the way to the airport, and he hugged his baby girl tightly at the gate when her flight was called. "You know I love you, Sweetheart."

"I know, Dad," she replied, hugging him back. "I love you, too."

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "If you don't hear from me within a couple of days, check in with Esposito."

She nodded. "I will."

"Stay up late. Spend lots of money. Behave badly at parties."

She laughed. "Whatever you say."

"I mean it," he said, giving her his Look of Mock Seriousness. "If you're not on the cover of at least three tabloids by the time I get back to the States, you're grounded for a week."

She gave a heavy sigh. "Oh, all _right_," she said. "But can at least one of them be for punching out a paparazzo?"

"Absolutely," he approved. Then he let her go, nudging her toward the gate. "Go on, now. Have fun with Mom."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll try." She paused, then added, "See you soon?"

"I promise," he said, nodding confidently. They both knew it was a lie, and tears shone in her eyes as she moved to board the plane. She looked back once as she passed through the gate, and then she was gone.

Kate wasn't quite sure what caused her to wake up, but she knew that it was something. She reached out for her partner, only to find out she was alone when her hand fell upon cold sheets. Confusion appeared on her face for a moment before she sat up, looking around. Her clothes from last night were hanging off the back of a chair, but Rick's things were gone from his nightstand, including his wallet. Fear gripped her for a moment but Kate did her best to push it away, trying to rationalize why he might be gone.

It wasn't until she started to get out of bed that she noticed the single slip of paper on her own bedside table. Her name was scrawled on the front in his familiar handwriting and she picked it up, scanning it quickly. He had taken Alexis to the airport already. Kate wasn't happy that she had slept through that, but maybe it had been best. Rick probably needed the alone time with his daughter before he sent her off to Meredith.

Putting the note back, she started to slip out of bed when she heard something downstairs. Her entire body froze and she quietly reached out, pulling on her clothes and grabbing the nearest weapon, which happened to be her somewhat battered copy of _Heat Wave_.

The noise rose up the stairs again as she made her way down, making sure to skip the step that sometimes made a sound. She passed by the now-empty room that had once belonged to Alexis, pausing when it fell quiet. Kate pressed herself to the wall and remained there for a few minutes, straining to hear anything else… and then she did. The sound was familiar, but she really didn't think it could be possible. How could she be hearing Alexis laugh if the girl was supposed to be on a plane to her mother?

Rounding the corner, book lowered somewhat, Kate made her way to the living room and stopped just inside the door. There, on the large television screen, played a home movie of the Castle family. They were on an unnamed beach around twilight. Alexis was young – around four or five if she had to guess – and Castle was so much younger himself. Martha had to be the one recording because her voice could be heard but she could not be seen. Instead, all Kate could see was a young Alexis running and squealing and laughing while her father chased after her barefoot in the white sand.

"I packed some things when we first left. A photo album and this tape… just in case," his voice was quiet and she had no idea how he had even heard her enter. He was seated on the couch with his elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped in front of his body. Kate laid the book down on a table before making her way over to him and sitting in the empty spot next to him on the couch.

"You'll see her again, Rick," she whispered softly, wanting to believe it just as much as he did. In her line of work there were no promises and she hated that his family had been caught in the crossfire, but at the same time she wasn't all that sorry at all because she needed him as well. As if he could hear her thoughts, Rick tugged her against his side and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Of course," he responded after a moment, tightening his hold on Kate just a little. She leaned into him and watched the screen with him, hoping that maybe one day she could be in one of these movies, too.

* * *

><p><em>Author's note: The explicit version of this chapter is available at LiveJournal for those readers over the legal age for possession of erotic materials. You can access it at xdawnfirex-fic(dot)livejournal(dot)com(slash)98676(dot)html <strong>if you are over the legal age for possession of erotic materials.<strong>  
><em>

_We appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you for your continued support!_


	12. Chapter 12

As soon as the shops began to open, Rick and Kate were in the streets, trying to plan as best they could. The first thing Rick did was buy a new burner phone and dial New York. "Sal!" he greeted the man who answered the line. "Rick Castle."

"Hey, Ricky! You doin' more book research?"

"No, Sal, this time it's all real. I need a favor – a _real_ favor."

There was a long pause before Sal spoke again. "What's on your mind, Ricky?"

"I'm in Italy – Venice. I need to know if you have any contacts here."

"Venice? Ricky, I got nothin' in Venice. If you were in Sicily I'd have you covered, no problem, but all my family's in Sicily."

Rick ran a hand through his hair. "Shit."

There was silence for a moment and then, "Call me back in a few hours. I'll see what I can pull together, Ricky."

The writer sighed in relief, giving Kate a half-smile. "Thanks, Sal. I'll owe you one."

Castle shut the phone and dropped it into his pocket with another sigh. The phone call hadn't gone entirely the way he wanted but it had ended on a decent note. He could only hope that Sal would have good news when he called back. He felt Kate grab his hand and he smiled a little, relaxing.

"He's going to see what he can do," he offered quietly, aware of the people around them.

Kate nodded her head, looking up at him. "That's good," she murmured softly. For a moment they both stood in the street as the crowd moved around them.

Castle was the first one to make a move, tugging her hand. "Let's get something to eat. We can plan over brunch."

"In a second." Kate's eyes had been drawn to movement in an alley, and they narrowed speculatively. She started toward the mouth of the alley.

"Kate?"

"Hush." She moved now with more determination, glancing around to be sure no one was watching, then stepped into the shadows. He followed, intrigued. She led the way about twenty feet down, where an unmarked door stood slightly ajar. She pushed it open and stepped inside.

He followed, blinking in the dim light as he looked around. The room was filthy, crammed full of shelves which were packed with all sorts of flotsam. He noted stereos, televisions, bicycles, household goods, and even a violin. "A pawnshop," he breathed.

She nodded once before strolling farther in as if she owned the place. "Allo!" she shouted, affecting the Russian accent he'd heard her use before.

There was a scurrying sound, and a tiny, rodentlike man with a bald head stepped through an archway from a back room. "_Buon giorno_," he greeted them expansively, as though they'd just stepped into a five-star restaurant. "_Che cosa_ –"

"_Pistole_," Kate cut him off. "_Che cosa avete?_"

Rick had the fleeting thought that Russian-accented Italian sounded like a cat trying to gargle marbles, fought back a hysterical giggle, and paid attention.

The man hesitated a moment before disappearing into the back, leaving Kate and Rick alone. He looked around casually, not really interested in anything he saw. Kate, however, kept her eye on the back door until it opened again.

He was carrying a medium box that he put down on the counter. Out of the box he pulled three different guns and laid them out side by side. He kept his silence as Kate made her way over, looking at the three pistols. The first was a semi-compact Jericho 941. The second was a P226 Classic 22 Sig Sauer. The third was a Glock 23.

Rick watched as she examined each one carefully, turning them over and over in her hands. "_Munizioni_?" she asked without looking up.

The man nodded his head quickly. "_Sì, Signora._"

Kate studied the guns for a few more minutes with Rick at her side. He picked up the semi-compact Jericho 941 and flipped it over. He knew some about guns from his research for his book but not nearly as much as Kate. He watched as she examined each gun carefully, checked the action, peered down the barrel, sighted against a far wall. She took the Jericho out of his hands with a faint glare and checked it out, finally looking up at the little man. "This is all you have?" she asked in Italian, her tone slightly testy.

"_Signora_," the little man replied, spreading his hands. "I am but an honest shopkeeper."

"And I'm a circus elephant," Kate snapped. "These weapons have all been disabled. Show me your real stock or I will beat you to death and take what I want."

The man stared at her for a long moment, assessing her seriousness, and finally nodded. "My apologies, _Signora_," he said. "One cannot be too careful; you might have been police." He reached out and raised a section of the counter. "Please, come with me."

They followed him into the back room, where he slid a bookcase aside, revealing a hidden storage shelf built into the wall. Here was a treasure trove of guns: pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles both manual and automatic. Kate nodded sharply. "_Grazie_," she said shortly, reaching out and picking up a Glock off the shelf. It was the same model as her own NYPD-issued service weapon, and she examined it carefully before handing it to Rick. A Sig Sauer followed, and then two Grandpowers – Slovak guns Rick had never handled before. To this collection Kate also added a tiny Smith & Wesson compact.

The shopkeeper provided them with several boxes of ammunition for each weapon, as well as a leg holster for the compact and two shoulder holsters. They were preparing to finalize their transaction when Rick said softly, "How are we going to get these out of here with no one seeing? We both need jackets to cover the shoulder holsters, and someone's going to notice all this ammo."

"Hmm." Kate considered for a moment, then spoke to the little man in rapid-fire Italian that Rick didn't follow.

The man nodded and scurried into the front room, returning a moment later with a set of good-sized stereo speakers. They distributed the weight of their haul between the two speakers and then money changed hands. The little man thanked them for their business, and they took the speakers full of contraband and headed out into the street.

The walk back to their home was quiet, both lost in their own thoughts. Castle had never really felt ill at ease with Kate at his side, but his stomach rolled when he thought of what they were carrying. This could either end really well or really poorly and without backup he didn't have too much hope for the latter.

"Something on your mind, Rick?" her soft voice startled him a little as he came out from his thoughts. He shook his head, shifting the speaker in his arms so that he could open the door. They both entered the house and he locked it again on instinct. Just in case.

They stored the speakers in their room, where all the important things were kept. Kate started loading the guns while Rick disappeared downstairs to make them something to eat. He was in the process of scrambling eggs when he felt two arms wrap around his waist.

"Smells good," she whispered softly, resting her cheek against his back. He smiled, shifting until he could wrap an arm around her as well.

"Thanks."

"You're worried."

"You're surprised?"

She shook her head. "No. But I wish you'd talk to me about it instead of clamming up."

He sighed, moving to dish up the eggs. "I don't really know what to say," he finally admitted. "We don't know what we're facing, we have no backup and no real plan. But we have guns."

"Which are the beginning of the plan," she assured him. She nibbled at a piece of bacon. "I don't know yet what we're going to do. But I do know that they're going to come armed, and they're going to shoot to kill. Which means I need to do the same thing."

"We."

She looked at him. "Sorry?"

"We," he repeated. "_We_ need to do the same thing."

"Rick –"

"Together, Kate. You and me. I'm not letting you do this alone," he asserted, not backing down.

Kate watched him for a long time before she relaxed, cocking her head to the side a little. "Thank you," she whispered softly. He smiled at her, leaning down for a quick kiss.

"Always."

They both ate their brunch in relative silence. They ran small ideas by each other but nothing seemed right. They didn't seem good enough for what they were going up against. After awhile Castle pushed his empty plate away with a sigh. "If this were one of my books, I could write Rook and Nikki out of danger."

She considered him for a long moment, then took his hand and led him to the sofa. She pushed him down onto it and then climbed on top of him, straddling his knees and taking his hands as she sat. "All right," she said. "Let's try this. Write me the scene from _Italian Heat_." They grinned at each other over the book title, but he settled back, his thumbs stroking the backs of her hands.

"Okay. Hm." He thought for a long time. "Okay. Nikki's ex has let their location slip. The bad guys are coming. The first thing Nikki's going to do is… well, frankly, not be there when they knock."

Kate nodded. "Where would she be?"

"Elsewhere," he said, his eyes going distant as he built the scene. "Nikki wouldn't wait for them to just come kill her in her home. She'd put herself somewhere else, give herself the upper hand."

Kate shifted, lacing her fingers with his. "And where would her shadow be?"

He smiled a little, but it was quick to disappear as he focused back on the story in front of him. "They'd use him. To draw her out if they could. Nikki would have the upper hand and they would do whatever they could to strip her of that. Maybe force her to come somewhere unfamiliar."

Her body language changed and she leaned forward, pressing her lips to the spot right under his jaw that he enjoyed. Rick relaxed a little, pulling Kate closer.

"She'd come, but they wouldn't anticipate just how angry she would be about them stealing her writer."

At that, Kate chuckled softly, shifting to press her lips to his. "Try furious," she suggested. "Or maybe enraged." She kissed him again. "But that brings up a good point. We need to stay together. You're all the backup I have, and I'm all the backup you have. We can't afford to be separated."

He nodded, then reached for his phone. "That reminds me." He dialed the same number he'd called earlier. "Sal," he said. "Anything?"

"Yeah, actually, good news. My Uncle Tony, his wife Angela's got a couple of cousins in Venice. They're gonna come help you out. You need to meet them at, uh, seven o'clock local time on the Rialto Bridge. Their names are Edoardo and Giancarlo."

"Edoardo and Giancarlo. Got it. I owe you for this, Sal. Big time."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just glad to be able to help a friend, you know?"

Rick laughed, knowing good and well that he not only owed Sal, but that Sal would eventually collect. "You bet, Sal. Thanks again." He hung up, then looked up at Kate. "Sal's got cousins. They're meeting us on the bridge at seven."

"That will help," Kate said softly. She lifted herself from his knees. "Let me call Jordan and tell her what's going on."

Rick reached up, pulling Kate back down into his lap. She gasped as she landed on his legs, laughing softly when he smiled at her. "We have a few more hours," he offered, leaning forward to press his lips to hers.

She relaxed into his body, letting him kiss her as many time as he pleased. Kate returned them all, moaning softly as she pulled herself away and patted his chest. "Later, I promise." she whispered with a light smile, giving him one last kiss before she climbed off his lap and disappeared.

Castle waited a few seconds and then pulled himself off the couch, moving into the kitchen. He cleaned up the mess from brunch as _Italian Heat_ played over and over in his head. He felt like he was missing a pivotal point to the story.

He was putting the last dish away when he felt a strange sensation wash over his body. Something was kicking at the edge of his memory, something important, but Rick couldn't place it. He moved into the living area and stood very still for a long moment, staring at a picture on the wall and emptying his mind of all thoughts except those having to do with that picture.

He had learned very early on in his writing career that sometimes the little details would hide behind corners in his mind, and that thinking hard about them in an effort to get them to come out only made them hide harder. So instead, he developed a technique to take his mind completely off them. He focused on the picture – a black and white photograph of a canal – and began carefully describing it in his mind, as though it were a crucial scene in his newest novel. He placed Nikki Heat in an upstairs window, Jameson Rook on the gondola in the water, and he built the image in his mind with adjectives and nouns and descriptive verbs, prepositions and even – in direct spite of Stephen King – as many adverbs as he could think of.

Slowly, tentatively, that little detail crawled out from behind that corner in his brain, and stood in the open to stare at him with eyes that glittered through the holes of a black ski mask. "Oh," he breathed. "That's what I forgot."

Upstairs, Castle heard Kate moving around in their room and he smiled a little. In the midst of all the rush and worry it felt oddly domestic and Rick found that he liked it. The moment passed quickly, however, and he remembered what he had to tell Kate before it slipped his mind again. There was more to the man who had left him bleeding in the middle of her apartment and that was the only thing he could think of to explain why he had suddenly remembered him.

Their entire focus had been upon the Senator and Lockwood for days now. If Castle was honest, which he usually tried to be, he hadn't even thought of the man since they escaped to Venice. It had been important at the time but slowly the cultured man had disappeared amongst all the other danger and the high of a new relationship. Shaking his head, Rick made sure the kitchen was clean before he flipped off the small light over the counter.

He was halfway to the stairs when the sound of something other than the woman upstairs caught his attention. It was the door buzzer. He moved to the top of the stairs and pressed the intercom button. "_Si?_"

"_Signore_ Cunningham?" came back a man's voice. "_Gli ho una consegna_."

He felt his brow wrinkle. "Kate?" he called up the stairs. "Are you expecting a delivery?"

"No," she called back. "Why?"

"Someone's at the door claiming he has one."

She came down the staircase, the satellite phone in one hand and her Glock in the other. One of the Grandpowers was tucked into her shoulder holster, and he thought he spied the grip of the Smith & Wesson poking out of her pocket. "Someone's at the door," she was telling Jordan over the phone. "Says he has a delivery, but we haven't ordered anything." She listened for a moment, then nodded at Castle. "Tell him to just leave it on the doorstep."

Castle pressed the intercom button and did as he was told. A moment later, the man's voice came back. "_Richiedo una firma, prego_."

"He says he wants a signature," Beckett said into the phone. "I'm pretty sure it's not a delivery, Jordan."

"_Sono spiacente. Avete la casa errata, signore_," Castle responded before he started to move away from the door. He had picked up enough to be able to piece together a formal enough response that was hopefully correct. Rick turned to look at Kate who was standing just behind him with her phone still in hand. The look on her face was cautious and he felt the exact same way. There was no response from the man on the other side of the door, however, and for a moment he relaxed.

Then all hell broke loose.

Castle heard the shuffling on the other side of the door and he had barely turned to look back at it when it burst open and hit the wall with enough force to send a picture shattering to the ground. He didn't even give the men in the doorway a proper look before he was turning and running toward Kate who was already making her getaway to higher ground. Rick heard gunfire and ducked when a bullet flew right by him to embed itself in the hand railing of the stairs. The woman in front of him was almost a blur as she turned on her heel to fire a few bullets down the staircase and send the men looking for cover while he caught up to her. The moment he was beside her Castle grabbed Kate's arm and pulled her in front of him, pushing for her to head up the second flight of stairs to the third floor.

"Kate, GO!" he yelled. "Move!"

She was moving, faster than he thought possible, and far faster than he did. He stayed right on her heels, but the men behind them were determined, and he was only halfway up the staircase before he heard them behind him. He turned to face them, unarmed but determined that they would get past him over his dead body.

"Castle!" Kate shouted from inside the bedroom.

"Go!" he yelled back. Then he stared into a pair of glittering, cold eyes – eyes he recognized immediately and knew he would never forget. "You're not having her," he said.

"We'll have her," the man calling himself Jerry Dunn replied. "You can't stop us. You aren't even armed."

"Castle, come on!" Kate yelled from the bedroom window.

"Kate, _go! _Get the hell _out of here!_" he shouted back, and then he pitched himself forward, hitting the three men like bowling pins and taking them all back down to the second floor with him.

In the bedroom, Kate heard the impact and closed her eyes for just a second. She knew what he'd done and she took a brief moment to swear that if he died saving her, she'd personally resurrect him and kill him again. Then she climbed out the window onto the fire escape ledge.

A bullet zinged past her head, narrowly missing her, and she turned automatically to follow its trajectory. There, on the rooftop across the street, was Harold Lockwood. He was aiming again, and she knew he wasn't going to miss this time. She hoisted herself onto the fire escape's railing, pushed off with her legs, and sailed through the air before plunging into the depths of the canal waters below.

* * *

><p>"Avery! Get the field office in Rome on the phone, now!"<p>

The agents in the makeshift war room turned in surprise to look at the doorway as Jordan made her entrance. Agent Avery immediately made the maps on the screen in front of him disappear to the side and brought up the number his boss wanted him to call. The sound of the ringing phone took over the room. Jordan made her way to stand beside her right hand man while clenching the cell phone in her hand a little tighter.

The undercurrent of distress in Kate's voice had managed to hit home while she was talking to the detective on her new burner phone. The last thing Jordan could remember hearing over the phone Kate had dropped while running was gunfire and Castle yelling at her to run. There had been a loud thump before the line went dead and she assumed the phone had been crushed. The call from Kate was almost an hour after their last and the difference was tangible even through the distance.

Castle being caught had never been a part of their plan and now that he was, the game had changed – but it wasn't over. The line was picked up. "Federal Bureau of Investigations, Legal Attaché, Rome Office," a woman's voice said. "How may I direct your call?"

"This is Agent Jordan Shaw, DC, calling for Agent Michael Russ," Jordan said. "Code two-four-epsilon," she added – code for a serious emergency.

"One moment, Agent Shaw," the woman said, her voice crisp. There was a moment of silence as the call was transferred, and then it was answered by a male baritone.

"Agent Shaw," the man said. "This is Michael Russ. Where's the fire?"

"Venice," Shaw replied. "I have two protectees who have been compromised by another agent, and I was in contact with them when they were attacked."

"How long ago was this?" Russ asked.

"Less than five minutes," Shaw replied.

"I can have a team in Venice in under two hours. Tell me what I need to know."

"Two protectees," Shaw repeated. "Richard Castle, writer; Kate Beckett, detective, NYPD." She rattled off the address of the safe house. "I have reason to believe Beckett may have escaped; if she did, they won't kill Castle. They'll use him for bait."

"Any way of getting in contact?"

"Possibly, yes. I believe the secure phone was a casualty of the attack, but I do know that they had a rendezvous planned for this evening. Castle was attempting to arrange private security. If either of them is still loose, they'll make that meet; they need the backup."

"Where and when?"

"Seven p.m. local time, on the Rialto Bridge."

"I'll have my team there. I assume either of them can brief the agents on the ground?"

"Yes." Jordan let out a slow breath. "Thank you, Michael. I owe you big time."

"Believe that I'll collect, Jordan." Russ chuckled. "I'll be in touch once I know something." He disconnected the call.

* * *

><p><em>We appreciate any and all feedback.<em>


	13. Chapter 13

_They won't kill him. They need him for bait._ Those two sentences chased themselves through Kate Beckett's mind again and again over the course of the four hours between her leap into the canal and just before seven, when she climbed the Rialto Bridge. During those four hours she had changed clothes and obtained a new phone, thanks to the funds in the money belt she'd been wearing when she escaped from the safe house. She had also made her way back to the pawnshop where she'd bought the guns, enlisting the help of the shady shopkeeper to clean the ones she still had on her and make sure they were still in working order. She'd also needed more ammunition; all of hers was still in the safe house, unless Lockwood and his accomplices had taken it.

Damn Will Sorenson, anyway, she thought for the millionth time as she reached the crest of the bridge; he never had been able to leave well enough alone.

She leaned against the stone wall of the bridge and looked around casually, pulling out her phone as though sending a text message. Edoardo and Giancarlo should be there waiting for her; she trusted that Sal wouldn't disappoint Rick, especially knowing the stakes. Her head down, she surreptitiously studied the crowd, looking for anyone out of place.

The area was jammed with tourists; there were families, singles, couples, men, women and children everywhere. Here was a young couple canoodling like she and Rick had just a few days before; there was a small family, the father holding his toddler up to look out over the canal. Over there, two men standing so close together that they could never be mistaken for platonic friends. And over there… Her eye caught and held on two men near the foot of the bridge on the opposite end from her approach. They were both dressed casually, but an aura of confidence surrounded them, and a slight air of danger that made people edge away from them without even consciously realizing it.

She shut her phone and slipped it into her pocket, then strolled casually in their direction. Just abreast of them, she made eye contact with one. "Edoardo?" she asked, her voice low and pitched directly to him.

He shook his head. "Giancarlo," he replied. He poked a thumb toward his partner. "Edoardo."

Kate breathed a soft sigh of relief. "_Prego, prego_," she murmured, and continued in Italian. "Kate Beckett. Sal told you?"

Giancarlo nodded. "He said you've got trouble. Why don't we go elsewhere to discuss it?"

Kate nodded. "Fine with me."

The trio started to move away from the bridge, but Kate paused when she heard a voice call out. "Kate? Kate Cunningham?"

She turned, one hand moving under her jacket to the butt of the Glock. It was one of the two men she'd identified as a gay couple on the bridge; dressed in a pink polo shirt and khaki shorts, he looked every inch the casual tourist. He waved, smiling broadly as he approached. "Kate, hi! Wow, it's good to see you! How've you been?"

She blinked. "Uh… good?"

He stepped between her and Giancarlo, tossing an arm around her shoulder. "Could you smile, please?" he said under his breath. "I'm with the FBI."

She blinked up at him in shock. "What?"

"Agent David Green," he said. "Credentials when we're in private." He paused, then waved at the other man, whom Beckett had assumed was his lover. "Greg! Look who I found!"

Kate mentally shook herself, waved cheerfully at Greg, and turned to the two Italian men. "We have more backup than I expected," she said in Italian. "This is a good thing for all of us."

"More backup is always good," Edoardo replied, nodding. "We need to move to a secure location."

"We have a suite not far from here," Agent Green replied, also in Italian. "The rest of our team is there."

Kate raised an eyebrow at the two Italians, but they were nodding their assent. "This is fine," Giancarlo said. "We will come with you."

"_Molto bene_," Kate said. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>His head was pounding when he woke up to the sound silence surrounding him. His ribs, which had been healed for the most part, ached ferociously and acted as an anchor as he came to his senses. The last thing Castle remembered was tackling the men down the stairs in an attempt to keep them from Kate. It had left him breathless and the sharp memory of the butt of a gun being slammed against the back of his skull provided all the reason he needed for why he felt disoriented.<p>

There were already a few things that he knew about his situation, even if they were things he could not change. The ropes chafing his wrists and ankles confirmed that he was not getting out of the chair that he happened to be sitting in. He also knew that despite the pain he felt in his head and ribs that he was otherwise unhurt. Rick took a few deep breaths before he finally opened his eyes so that he could make more sense of his situation.

He felt only slightly disheartened when he realized that nothing really stood out. He was in the middle of what appeared to be – from what he could make out in the near darkness – an abandoned warehouse. There was a single light, placed directly above his head, that cast only a minimal amount of illumination on the surrounding area. A few blinks and perhaps a handful of minutes later his eyes were adjusted enough that he knew his first assumption had been correct.

_If only it were duct tape _crossed his mind as he pulled at his restraints unsuccessfully. He had managed to find a way out of such a binding when doing hands-on research for Nikki, but rope couldn't be pulled away with a can top. Not that he had a can top around him anyway. The heavy sound of footfalls coming from the left caught his attention, bringing him back into the moment abruptly. From the shadows emerged the man with the cold eyes and at his side was a somber-looking Lockwood.

Castle defaulted to his personal defense mechanism, giving them a huge grin as he cocked his head to the side. "Hey guys. Enjoying the city?"

Dunn chuckled, stopping short of the chair and Castle with a chilling smile. "Very good, Mr. Castle. I see that you have not lost your sense of humor." His statement seemed sincere enough and it sent a slight chill of fear racing down the writer's back. This man was dangerous, perhaps even more so than Lockwood, who stood to his right as if he had more important things to be doing. And he probably did, considering that they still didn't have the single person they were after.

A look passed between the two professionals and Dunn stepped forward, leaving the other man behind. His eyes seemed to glitter coldly in the faint light from the overhead bulb and it made him seem more ominous than he had that night in Kate's apartment.

"Mr. Castle, we believe that you know where Miss Beckett is. It would be in your best interest, I assure you, to inform us of her whereabouts of your own accord."

He didn't answer their question immediately, nor did he have plans to answer them at all. Dunn waited a moment before he stepped even closer to the chair, effectively invading Rick's personal space as though he belonged there. "Your loyalty to the detective is awe-inspiring, Mr. Castle. I also assure you that it will be your downfall."

Castle did not respond, but he did not back down; instead, he chose to stare directly at the man as though he was of no consequence. He was aware of Lockwood shifting in the background and suddenly Dunn's eyes seemed a thousand times darker than before.

"If that is how you want it to be, then I suppose that is how it will end. As long as you are alive, however, there is no real need of your cooperation because she will come to us."

Dunn stepped back out of the way, nodding his head toward the other man standing at the edge of the shadows. "He's all yours, Mr. Lockwood."

The last thing Castle remembered was the sudden pain along the side of his face before everything went black.

* * *

><p>On arrival at the secure suite in the Hotel Monaco, Beckett was pleasantly surprised and enormously relieved to discover that the FBI had sent a full team of five agents to back her up. They had set up some expensive-looking equipment, though nothing like as fancy as what had been brought into the 12th Precinct, and one of them was working away at the computer when she and her entourage entered.<p>

"Get Shaw on the line," Agent Green said when he entered the room.

A rattle of keys later and the room was filled with the sound of a ringing phone. When the line was picked up, a large monitor on the table flickered to life, and Jordan Shaw's face appeared on the screen. "Talk to me, Green."

"We have Beckett," he said without preamble. "She's with us now." He took Kate by one shoulder, steering her to stand in front of the webcam, where Jordan could see her. Kate raised one hand in a half-wave.

"Kate. I'm glad you're okay." Jordan looked somewhat relieved. "What's the news on Castle?"

"Nothing yet," Kate replied. "They have him, but I'm confident he's still alive. I haven't attempted contact yet."

"Run it all by me again," Jordan requested. Everyone fell silent as Kate recounted the evening from the start, leaving out the parts that were personal and unimportant, like sitting on Castle's legs while he built up the story of _Italian Heat_. Instead, she focused on the three men who had burst into their house and tried to overpower them. The story finished when she jumped into the water, because from there everything that had happened was pretty obvious.

All the agents were quiet even after she finished and Avery asked the first question, squeezing in next to Jordan on the screen in front of her. "Did you recognize any of them, Detective?"

Kate shook her head. She hadn't really managed to get a good look at the men in the house, but even then, she was pretty sure that none of them seemed remotely familiar to her. The only one she had recognized was Lockwood and they already knew that. "I didn't get a good look at the men in the house, but from what I know I didn't recognize any of them. The only one I knew was Lockwood."

Agent Green stepped up behind Kate, making sure to keep some distance between them. "Obviously this Castle character hasn't given up any information about the meeting on the bridge or else it would have been compromised. They are waiting for her to make contact with them. Even if their captive did give up any information it wouldn't be important now. He doesn't know about us."

"He knows about us," Giancarlo pointed out, gesturing to himself and Edoardo. There was a ripple of surprise through the room – everyone seemed to have forgotten about the Italian men – but Beckett was nodding.

"He does," she agreed. "But he doesn't know about these guys. So even if he did tell them about you two, they'd just be expecting me to have two backups, not seven."

"All right," Shaw said. "Let's err on the side of caution. Assume they know about two, and plan accordingly."

Kate sighed softly. "How the hell do we plan for something like this?"

"Agent Davies," Shaw said, "tell her about the phone."

Kate raised an eyebrow as another agent, a woman, turned to face her. "We took the liberty of examining the scene at your house when we got here. We found this." She offered Kate an evidence bag.

Kate took it. Inside was her new cell phone, with a note wrapped around it. _He'll be waiting for your call. Don't disappoint him; you wouldn't want to deprive a young girl of her parent, would you?_

She saw red. "Fucking asshole!"

"Kate, do not let them play you. Understood?" Jordan's voice was sharp and loud and all of the noise from a few seconds ago settled back into silence once more. Kate gripped the phone a little tighter, but the rest of her body relaxed just a tad. Shaw waited a moment before she continued, repeating things that Kate already knew. "You will call them. Do not give them more of an upper hand. Do not beg. They know you want Castle, but I doubt they realize how important he is, and we want to keep it that way."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming her mind. Instead of the technique she used when approaching a crime scene her mind focused on something different.

"_You know what I thought when I first met you?" _

His voice drifted over her senses and an immediate calm settled. The noise in the room around her faded to the background as she focused on the memory of them sitting together on that couch in LA and it almost felt like a lifetime ago.

"_That you were a mystery I was never going to solve. Even now, after spending all this time with you I'm… I'm still amazed at the depths of your strength… your heart… and your hotness." _

It took less than a minute before her eyes were opened and she was holding onto the phone like it was a lifeline. She looked up at Jordan on the screen and offered her the same determined look that she had almost a year ago after her apartment had been blown up.

"Let's make the call."

* * *

><p>Castle was only truly unconscious for a couple of hours; once he awoke, he allowed himself to drift in a semi-doze, which had the double benefit of being somewhat restful and also keeping him from saying anything stupid to antagonize his captors. The sound of his cell phone ringing, though, brought him to full wakefulness, and he listened anxiously as Lockwood crossed the big, empty room and picked it up.<p>

He flipped the phone open and put it on speaker. "Good evening," he said smoothly.

"Where is he?" Beckett's voice came across the line firmly and with no preamble, and Castle breathed a soft sigh of relief. She was okay.

"He's here," Lockwood replied. "Alive. For now."

"What do you want?" Kate demanded.

"Well, that's a simple question with a complicated answer," Lockwood said. "I personally want little more than satisfying work with commensurate reward. My employer, on the other hand, wants more. And he is a man who is accustomed to getting what he wants."

"Fine," Kate said. "What does _he_ want?"

"He wants this case left alone," Lockwood said simply. "It's time to stop trying to raise the dead."

"Fine," Beckett said again. "He wants me off the case? I'm off. For good. I'd even offer to box up what I have and bring it to you, but I'm pretty sure without even going back to the house that you already have it."

Lockwood chuckled softly. "You're right about that," he said. He paused. "So, you'd be willing to back off the case entirely? Leave it alone and let it remain unsolved forever, never knowing the name of the man who ordered your mother's death?"

Jordan, still present on the screen in front of her, nodded her head. Kate took a deep breath, hoping that the lie sounded at least halfway authentic as it passed from her lips. "Yes. I'm done. It's over."

The silence on the other end of the line went on longer than she thought it would, but then it was followed by a deep chuckle that sounded more ominous than fun. "Somehow I doubt that, Detective. So here is what's going to happen. You have two hours to come to the location I'll give you at the end of the call. If you are so much as one second late, you can say goodbye to your writer – and the same can be said of anyone you bring with you."

"Kate, don't listen to him!" A loud sound echoed over the speaker phone and Kate felt her body tense when all she could hear was Castle gasping for breath between coughs. He knew better than to open his mouth in a situation like this, and at first she wondered why he had said anything. She almost opened her mouth to berate him when it clicked and she felt herself relax a little.

He was playing his role as plucky sidekick and she just had to play hers.

"Shut up, Castle." Her voice was harsh and loud but it still managed to make him smile in a move that he hid amongst all of the coughing and loud breathing. Lockwood waited a moment before he chimed back into the conversation, his voice calm and even.

"Two hours, Detective. By yourself and not a second late or your writer doesn't get his happy ending,"

It wasn't really something she could say no too, after all. "Two hours," she agreed. Lockwood rattled off the address that she would be going to before hanging up.

Without a word, the agent at the computer pulled the address up. It was a warehouse down by the water that had been abandoned some time before. It was bigger than most, and would make for an excellent hideout.

Kate leaned over the tech's shoulder. "Not many approaches," she commented.

Edoardo and Giancarlo came to lean over her shoulder. Giancarlo pointed to an adjacent building. "Here," he said. "Across the rooftop."

"And up from the canal, though they'll likely have it watched," Edoardo added, also pointing. "But it's doubtful they'll have more than one person on it; if they had enough people to guard the place like it ought to be guarded, we'd have heard about it."

"How big is the building?" one of the other agents – Carroll, Kate thought his name was – asked.

"Hmm." Giancarlo considered. "I've not been inside, myself, but from the look of it, and from the area, I'm going to say it's probably quite large. Sixty meters deep, perhaps forty meters wide."

"Any idea what the building's purpose is?" asked Agent Davies.

"Until perhaps twenty years ago? Shipping," Edoardo said. "My uncle worked in a similar warehouse close by. But there was a recession, and many of those shipping companies closed down or consolidated. Now? Now it simply rots."

"Will it be wide open on the inside?" Kate wanted to know. "Or will there be walls, hallways, obstructions?"

Both Italians shrugged. "Some are all open; some are partially open. It just depends on how the last owners set it up."

Kate sighed, rubbing her temples. There was no way they could plan anything for this, at least not all the way, and she wasn't willing to leave anything to chance with Castle inside. Jordan disappeared off screen for a moment and when she reappeared she looked serious.

"Kate, it will have to be a mostly blind op."

It was something she didn't really like, but she already knew. Nodding her head, Kate turned to look at the agents in the room. "We have less than two hours. Let's make them count."

* * *

><p>Castle's head was swimming when he focused back in on the conversation Lockwood was having with his original captor. Every breath he took hurt and he was sure that he had rubbed his wrists raw. The only good thing was that he had managed to create a little slack in the somewhat thin rope that bound him.<p>

He had only about an hour and a half to find a way to help Kate. He was trying to write the story and act out what he could at the same time. The only problem was that these men were professionals, and every scenario in his head ended with her dying.

Rick was trying to find more slack when the mystery man started his way. He immediately stopped, taking a deep breath which hurt a little too much. He was sure a bruise was forming on the right side of his face from earlier but he didn't hide. Instead he looked up at Dunn with as much hard as he could muster.

"You won't touch her," he whispered darkly. Dunn only smiled and reached down, putting pressure on his hurting ribs. Castle bit back a gasp, but the angry look never left his face.

"On the contrary, Mr. Castle. We have you."

"Congratulations, you caught a middle-aged, slightly out-of-shape _writer_," Rick replied. "I could only be more impressed if you single-handedly took down a bus full of quadriplegic third-graders."

Dunn chuckled. "Strong words, coming from the man in the chair." He started to say something else, but was interrupted by the ringing of Castle's cell phone. One eyebrow rose toward his hairline, and he retrieved it, glanced at the caller ID and then flipped it open. He returned and held the phone up to Rick's ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Dad."

Rick blinked. "Alexis."

"Yeah. You said to call once I got to my layover in Atlanta."

"So I did," Rick replied, thinking fast. He knew Dunn could hear everything Alexis was saying. "Refresh my memory, because I don't have your itinerary in front of me. How long are you there before your next flight leaves for Salt Lake City?"

There was a long pause from the other end of the line, and when Alexis spoke again, her voice trembled very slightly. "Um. Just about forty-five minutes. I'm going to have to move fast; my gate's all the way on the other side of the airport."

"Well, don't miss your flight," he said. "You know how testy your aunt gets if everything doesn't go according to plan; she's likely to go through the entire airport like avenging Hell."

Alexis laughed, and it didn't sound forced. He had once used that very phrase to describe Kate, and he'd hoped Alexis would understand that he was trying to tell her that Kate was on her way to rescue him. "I know," she replied. Then she paused and said softly, "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, Pumpkin," he said, his own voice soft. "Go on, now; go get on the plane. I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay. Bye."

Dunn took the phone away and shut it with a snap. He studied Castle. "We're not going to go after her, you know," he said. "This ends here tonight, and she has no part in it."

"I know you won't," Castle replied, his voice calm. "Because when it ends, you're both going to be dead."

* * *

><p><em>We appreciate any and all feedback.<em>


	14. Chapter 14

"You've got this, Beckett."

The sound of her partner's voice in her ear served as a decent way to take the edge off of the nerves she was feeling. Esposito was as sure of her abilities as ever and it made going in there without Castle a little easier than it had before. There was less than ten minutes left until she had to be in the warehouse, but this was a call that she had needed to make. She was standing alone against a wall but she knew that her backup was spread throughout the area, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"I swear my desk better be clean when I get back," she snapped, but the comment was half-hearted at best and his laughter made her smile. Kate let her head drop down as she took a deep breath, relaxing as much as she could.

"You got it, boss," his voice brought her back to reality and she straightened up, her hand brushing over the butt of her gun.

"Thank you," Kate whispered at the last moment before they both hung up. No more really needed to be said. She would go in there and save Rick's ass and then they would be on the next flight home.

She took a deep breath. "Are we ready?"

"I have my eyes on you." Agent Green's voice crackled through the tiny bud in her ear. "Alpha, Gamma, report."

"Alpha," came the voice of Agent Carroll. "Approaching from the canal. Eyes on one; appears to be alone."

"Gamma," came the voice of Agent Davies, who was in an adjacent warehouse with an infrared scanner. "Confirmed. One heat signature in the back, two out front. Two inside: one mobile, one stationary."

"Five minutes, Kate," Jordan Shaw's voice spoke into the link. "Showtime."

"I'm going in." Kate stepped away from the wall and walked forward into the intersection of the narrow streets in front of her. She stopped in the precise center of the road and turned toward the warehouse. She waited. Ten seconds later, two men stepped out of the doorway.

"Are you alone?" one of them called.

She held out her hands, looking around. "Do you see anyone with me?"

The second man was scanning the area, a small pair of binoculars held to his eyes. After a moment, he turned to the first man and said something in a low voice, shaking his head. The first man nodded. "Come in. Slowly."

Kate took measured steps toward the men, replaying Esposito's words in her mind over and over until she was stopped just a few feet away from the door. One of the men, more slender and seemingly in charge, nodded his head and without a word the man at his side stepped forward. His hands on her body as he gave her a thorough pat down were not enjoyable. He removed her guns and a few knives that she had hidden away while the other man chuckled.

"You brought enough weapons for an army it seems, Detective," he said quietly in his distinguished accent. It caught her off guard and the memory of Castle describing all of the hit men as cultured came to mind and she made the obvious jump.

"You're the one who left Castle in my apartment," she stated with a soft edge. The man only smiled and nodded his head before he stepped aside. The search was over and her weapons were gone. Kate waited a moment before she started her journey into the warehouse with one man at her back: the same man who had left a broken Rick at her apartment almost three weeks earlier. She fought to keep her anger tempered. She had to be in control for this to work out.

The man was a constant presence at her back until they reached a more open area. The light only reached about halfway toward the walls which left a lot of hiding places in the shadows. What she could see, however, was Castle slouched down in a chair in the middle of the room. He seemed oblivious to her presence as he remained slumped down with his face bowed so low that she couldn't see it At first glance there seemed to be no injuries, but Kate assumed that his ribs were hurting from the way he was breathing and how he held himself in the chair even though he was slumped over.

Lockwood was standing nearby, but she didn't pay him all that much attention. Not at first, anyway. She only had eyes for the man tied to the chair.

"Castle," her voice was sharp and authoritative, the one she used when ordering him to stay in the car even though she knew he wouldn't. His head lifted up at the sound of her voice and she felt another sharp stab of anger low in her gut as she took in the bruised right half of his face and the blood that trickled down the other side from a cut just above his eyebrow.

He grinned. "Hey, Beckett," he said. "Welcome to the party."

She shook her head. "If you think I'm coddling you through another set of broken ribs, you're going to be sorely disappointed. I don't have time for your drama queen act."

"I'm _hurt_," he replied, still grinning. "I'd clutch my heart, but my hands are bound with rope. You'll have to make do without my grand gestures."

"However will I survive?" she drawled sarcastically.

"Well, this has been a lovely chat," Lockwood interrupted, "but I'm afraid we really need to get down to business."

Kate turned slowly to face him, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he was a waste of her effort. "Oh?"

Lockwood walked over to a table nearby, where Rick's cell phone rested next to the small pile of weaponry Kate had brought with her. He examined the items there and came up with a hunting knife. "This will do nicely, I think." He walked around behind Rick and reached, grabbing the writer's hand and jerking upwards. Forced to bend, Rick gritted his teeth and grunted slightly but made no other sound.

Lockwood looked up at Kate. "I'm going to ask you a question," he said. "And if I don't like the answer, I'm going to cut. When he runs out of fingers, I'll start on… other body parts."

Rick's eyes met Kate's. She blinked once, calmly. In her ear, she heard Agent Carroll's voice. "Back guard down. I repeat, back guard is down."

Lockwood pressed the blade of the knife against the base of Rick's thumb. "I want to know everything that you know about my employer, and I want to know who else knows."

Time slowed down around Kate. She studied Rick's face for a long moment. In her ear, as if from a long distance away, she heard Giancarlo say, "Front guard is down. I repeat, front guard is down."

She lifted her head and looked squarely into Lockwood's eyes. "I know everything about Senator Myers, and so does the FBI. Agents in Washington are preparing to arrest him as we speak. It's over, Lockwood."

"Like hell it is," the man behind her replied. Then all hell broke loose.

Castle saw Kate move at the same time he heard a door bang open and he reacted just as her elbow landed squarely in the middle of Dunn's chest. He slammed his head back and caught some body part that belonged to Lockwood. He didn't know which one; all Rick knew was that he heard a satisfying crunch and his skull wasn't busted. The knife pressing against his hand disappeared and he twisted until he felt blood running down his wrists but it was enough that he could finally get his hands out of the rope.

Rick caught flashes of Kate as she moved in and out of the shadows across the room with Dunn, who had disappeared the moment the trouble started. He was still around, however – which was made apparent when Castle heard a shot nearby as he worked to undo the ropes around his ankles. There was shouting in the distance that he couldn't quite make out but he was more worried about getting out of Lockwood's way. He could hear the man getting up as he finished the last rope and Rick managed to scurry out of the way just in time to avoid getting stabbed with the knife the other man had picked right back up.

Getting a weapon of his own seemed useless because his attacker was between himself and the table, but suddenly it didn't really matter when the shouts of _FBI_ and _freeze_ sounded so close.

Gunfire sounded from somewhere in the warehouse. Rick refused to allow himself to be distracted from the man in front of him. Lockwood's grip around the knife's handle was white-knuckled, and Rick prepared to dodge, watching the man carefully for any sign that he was about to spring. The two of them slowly circled one another, but just when Rick thought he was going to get a shot at the weapons on the table after all, the attack came.

Lockwood didn't jump, as Rick had half-expected; instead, he came at him, bumrushing him in an attempt to take him to the floor. Rick jumped to the side at the last second, but Lockwood slashed with the knife, slicing through Rick's sleeve and scoring his arm. Rick hissed at the burning sensation, but otherwise ignored it. Spending several hours bound in a chair had been bad for his circulation and his feet were a little numb and clumsy.

_Where the hell is the fucking cavalry?_ he thought wildly as he dodged another rush-and-slice combo, this time fortunately without taking damage. He was considering making a desperate rush for the weapons on the table when he heard a man's voice boom out, "Drop the knife!"

Rick and Lockwood both froze in place. The man's voice boomed out again. "FBI, Lockwood. You're under arrest. Drop the knife and put your hands in the air."

Lockwood smirked.

Rick tensed, watching his eyes.

Lockwood lunged, Rick dodged, and the sound of a single gunshot exploded through the room, echoing back from the warehouse's metal roof and ringing in Rick's ears. Rick hit the floor hard and rolled, grunting again in pain as his ribs were jarred, and barely a second later, Kate was kneeling over him. She stroked his forehead and wiped some blood off his cheek with one hand, and as he blinked up at her, he realized that her left arm was wrapped with a makeshift bandage that was starting to show red in the center.

He raised one hand and barely brushed his fingers across it. "What happened?"

"The other one shot me," she admitted. "The one who beat you up. Just winged me, though; a few stitches and I'll be fine."

"Did you get him?"

Kate smirked. "Of course I did. Right between the eyes."

Castle chuckled, but he made no immediate move to get up off the warehouse floor. His ribs hurt like hell and he was pretty sure that his legs still wouldn't support him that well. Instead, he shifted into a sitting position with a small grimace and grabbed one of Kate's hands. Rick laced their fingers together, holding tight as he gently tugged her down for a quick kiss. She surprised him when she cupped his uninjured cheek in her free hand and deepened the kiss instead of pulling away.

The agents working around them became background noise for a moment until they pulled away for air with smiles. Both heard Agent Green call out the estimated time for the ambulance – just five minutes instead of the fifteen or twenty Castle would normally expect for such an abandoned place.

"I feel like I won free front row seats to the Castle and Beckett show," Jordan's somewhat teasing voice broke Kate's concentration on Castle and she felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks before she managed to shove it away. Rick tilted his head in slight confusion but she continued to smile at him as she shifted away a little.

"Mind booking us a flight home, Jordan?" Kate asked, more than ready to get back into the city to her job. A slight break had been good but she was missing her desk more and more every day.

Jordan chuckled, but her next statement sent the blood rushing through Kate's veins all over again. "I'll do you one better. The Senator will be waiting for you when you get back."

She had been waiting years for this moment and Kate felt the first shimmer of relief and peace flood through her body. "I can't wait," she replied softly before she pulled the earpiece out and set it down on the table.

"Two minutes," Agent Green called out again, glancing over at Kate and Castle on the floor.

Kate stood. "Come on, Rick," she said, gripping his hand with hers and tugging. "Up you get. Don't want the EMTs mistaking you for one of the stiffs."

He groaned as she pulled him to his feet. "Oh, my ribs."

She studied him for a long moment, taking in the seriousness of his face, the arm he'd wrapped around his middle, and the mischievous twinkle in his eye. Then she socked him in the arm. "I don't even want to hear it. I got _shot_."

The twinkle left his eyes suddenly and he turned to her, his expression grave. "I know you did," he said, his voice soft and low. "And I don't ever want to have to hear you say those words again. Okay?"

She opened her mouth to protest – she was a cop, for godsakes, it wasn't like she could swear nobody would ever shoot at her again – and then closed it again. An argument wasn't what either of them needed right now. Instead, she stepped in close to him, putting her good arm around his waist and letting him drape his over her shoulders. "I'll do my best," she assured him.

"That's all I can ask," he said. Then he leaned down and kissed her again.

Kate hated EMTs. She had never been fond of hospital stays or abiding by the doctor's orders. The two men were insistent on checking her out entirely even though she had said multiples times that it was only her arm that had been injured. Rick was in another ambulance that had been brought just in case and she was more than anxious to see him again. She knew that he was fine for the most part but there was still a part of her that wanted to see him and be sure. Only after standing her ground once more against both men did they finally give up. One administered stitches to her arm while the other lectured her on possible injuries.

As soon as her stitches were done she was out of the bus and heading the short distance to where Castle was being kept. She was barely within ear shot when his voice reached her ears.

"Oww, owww… Easy. I'm fragile."

Smiling softly, Kate moved through the few agents still around until she could actually see Castle. He was lying back on a cot with both wrists bandaged and stitches were being administered to the slice on his arm. A small bandage covered the cut over his eyebrow and one EMT was holding an icepack to the right side of his face. Her eyes skimmed downward to see small bruises on his chest, probably from tackling the men down the stairs, before they disappeared underneath his newly wrapped ribs.

The moment he noticed her, however, his head shot up and the ice pack fell away. She chuckled as he quickly apologized to the EMT on his right before turning his attention back to Kate. "Stitched up already, Detective?"

"Good as new," she replied. "Jordan's arranging us a flight home for tomorrow; apparently we're supposed to 'go home and rest' tonight." She held up two fingers from each hand. "Please note my use of sarcastic finger quotes."

He made a sad face. "No more _Italian Heat_?"

She smirked. "No. Sorry."

He sighed. "Ah, well. I'm sure your dad will be glad to get home; my mother's probably driving him crazy."

Kate laughed. "I'm sure they're getting along fine. We need to call them, though, and tell them it's over."

Rick nodded. "We will, tonight, and I'll get them a flight booked."

"Okay." Kate stood aside while the paramedics finished with Rick, admonishing him in Italian to be careful of his ribs and not to drink alcohol with pain medication. Then they let him go, one of them helping him out of the bus and onto the ground. She wrapped her arm around his waist again. "Let's get out of here," she said softly.

"Wait." Rick looked around. "Where are Edoardo and Giancarlo?"

Kate shook her head. "They're gone. Left as soon as it was obvious that the FBI had everything under control. Edoardo said they'll be in touch." She felt her lips quirk up wryly. "I got the impression that they didn't really want to be here when the _Polizia_ arrive."

Rick laughed gently. "You're probably right. I'm sure they'll be by tonight. I owe them money."

* * *

><p>The entire ride back to their 'home' was quiet. Rick spent his time trying to figure out how to get comfortable in the back of the car while Kate tried to make him stop squirming so much. Agent Green had offered to drive them back and he kept glancing in his rear view mirror, shaking his head whenever she would give Castle a light glare to make him stop. Once they arrived the goodbye was short and sweet with a thank you tacked on to the end once more.<p>

Agent Green was out of sight before they managed to get to the door which Castle took the time to notice had already been replaced. The inside of the house had suffered almost no damage but the FBI's CSU team had apparently cleaned up the mess made by Lockwood and Dunn as they searched for all of the files. Stopping on the second floor, he turned to look at Kate who was just behind him. "Call your Dad and I'll work on getting them a flight home as soon as possible." He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before pulling out his cell phone that he had retrieved from Agent Carroll.

Kate made her way up to their bedroom before she pulled out her own phone, dialing the number that she had memorized so it wouldn't have to be programmed into any of their phones. It rang twice before it was quickly picked up.

"Katie," the sound of her father's relieved voice made her smile as she sat down on the edge of the bed. They weren't in contact often enough while she was working but they always made time for each other. There had been times when she had went for a month or two without really talking to him but these past few weeks had managed to feel like forever.

Taking a deep breath she held the phone just a little tighter. "I'll tell you more about it when I see you, Dad, but we got them." She had pictured this moment since entering the academy, especially since the first moment she got her hands on her mother's case. Almost fourteen years later, she had all of the answers she had ever wanted for herself and her father. "Rick is working on getting a flight home for the both of you."

Jim Beckett's silence only lasted a moment but when he spoke there was a slight waver to his voice that was nothing but filled with pride. "I'm glad you're okay, the both of you… and I'm proud of you, Kate."

Taking a deep breath she fought back some of the tears that threatened to fall. "I love you, Dad," she spoke quietly, hearing Castle coming up the stairs. Her father returned the sentiment as she looked up, catching Rick's eye as he stepped into the doorway. He paused, the look on his face softening a little as he closed the distance between them to hand Kate the information on her father's flight. She rattled it off before handing the phone over to her partner.

"Mother, I'm fine, I assure you," Rick placated his mother over the phone as he stood close to Kate, looking down at her every so often. "Yes Mother, Kate is fine as well."

There was a pause and his face scrunched up at something Martha had said and he sighed. "I'll tell you more about it when I see you. Yes, in a few days, I promise." He fell quiet again but the look on his face softened at something Kate couldn't hear, but she already knew because of his quiet response. "I love you too, Mother. Goodbye."

Once he was able to hang up with his mother, Rick dialed again. This time the phone was answered by a frantic Alexis. "Honey, I'm fine," he assured her. "Just a little roughed up. Avenging Hell saved my butt, just like I told you she would."

In Los Angeles, Alexis collapsed on her Mother's sofa. "Oh, god. Oh, god. Is she all right?"

"She's fine," Rick replied. "We both are. And we'll be home in a couple of days. Once we make it back to New York, I'll arrange a flight for you. Okay?"

"Okay. Love you, Dad."

"Love you, too, Pumpkin. See you soon."

There was silence for a moment after he hung up, both of them done making calls. They studied one another for a long moment in the deep quiet, and then, as though the action had been choreographed, they lunged at each other.

The once silent room was suddenly filled with the rustling of clothes and the soft moans of the inhabitants. Rick had one hand tangled in her hair and the other cupping her cheek as he pulled her closer and the kiss they shared deepened. All the while Kate was pushing him back gently onto the bed, remembering to take her time even as she put everything she had into the kiss. It was a flurry of movement as she hovered over his body, their hands in constant motion as they tried to touch every bit of each other.

His lips trailed away from hers, pressing along her jaw and then down her neck until he could nip gently at her shoulder. Above him, Kate let out a breath that was part laugh, smiling down at Rick as one hand brushed the hair away from his forehead and the other held her up on the bed. For a moment neither moved, their somewhat deep breathing being the only sound in the room until he surged upward and caught her lips in another kiss that would probably leave them swollen in the end.

"Kate," he whispered against her lips. "I need you. God, I love you so much."

She smiled, kissing him again. "I love you, too," she assured him.

He raised a hand to cup her cheek. "If you had... If we had...". He trailed off, unable to vocalize the possibility.

"We didn't."

He drew her down for another kiss, warm and slow and sweet. "I don't know what I would do. I need you in my life. I don't know how to be without you any more."

She swallowed hard. "Well, you're not going to find out today," she said lightly.

Rick offered her a small smile before he flipped them over. The movement jarred his ribs a little but he pressed through, leaning down to press his lips to her collarbone. His hands trailed down her sides, causing the same breath-filled laughter that he loved but was so rare. Her hands made their own path under his shirt, brushing against his wrapped sides before moving up to his smooth skin.

Kate reached around, running her nails down his back and enjoying the shivers it produced before she pulled away. Giving her utmost attention to the task at hand she set about undoing the buttons of his shirt while he kissed his way back to her lips. His own hands were busy skimming just underneath the hem of her shirt, teasing the skin he found there.

"Rick." His name was nothing more than a soft exhale and he smiled, burying his face against her shoulder and biting gently, soothing over the mark with his tongue.

"I need you," he said again, murmuring the words against her skin.

She said, "You're going to hurt yourself." She nudged at his shoulder. "Lie back." He obeyed, and watched as she slid off the bed and shed her clothes. She gave him a slight smile and came around to his side of the bed, reaching to unfasten his pants. He raised his hips a little to help her slide them off, shrugging his shirt off in the process.

She smirked at him. "You know, 'just had the shit beat out of me' isn't your best look."

He spread his hands, grinning at her. "I figured if suave and sexy wasn't working, and funny wasn't working, I'd go for pathetic and see if I had any better luck."

She laughed. Then she climbed onto the bed at his feet, her hair falling down around her face as she crawled up his body.

* * *

><p>When it was over, she sagged into his arms, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "Oh. Oh, that was amazing."<p>

He grinned. "You're welcome."

* * *

><p><em>Once again, the adult-rated version of this fic can be found at my livejournal: xdawnfirex-fic(dot)livejournal(dot)com(slash)99455(dot)html if you are over the legal age.<em>

_We appreciate any and all feedback._


	15. Chapter 15

Castle was more than a little exhausted by the time their plane touched down in New York. Kate was at his side as they stepped into the terminal, looking around for their ride. The boys, plus Lanie, had insisted on picking them up from the airport and arguing had been futile.

Their fingers were laced together as they made their way toward luggage pick up. Rick had started to pick up one of their bags only to hear a very familiar voice just feet behind them in the crowd.

"Yo! Castle, Beckett, over here!" They both turned at the same time, spotting Esposito with his arm around Lanie and Ryan at his side. Rick almost dropped Kate's hand in surprise but she gave his a tiny squeeze. He glanced over at her and smiled before squeezing back.

"Hey boys. Mind giving us a hand?" Kate was only teasing with the suggestion but her boys were there in and instant and grabbing up their luggage. They already knew about everything from the takedown in Venice, including the minor injuries both parties had sustained.

"I'm perfectly capable –" Rick began, but Lanie prodded him with a finger on his uninjured side.

"The hell you are," she replied. "You're not picking up anything heavier than a jug of milk for the next month, you hear me?"

He grumbled. "I hear you."

Rick and Kate followed their friends out to a waiting taxi, which took them directly to Castle's loft. "Jordan said she'll be at the precinct in the morning for the debriefing, but you've got today to relax," Ryan told them.

"What's going on up there?" Kate asked.

Esposito jerked his head in the direction of the cab driver. "A lot of stuff."

Kate held her questions until they were safely inside Rick's loft, at which point she turned on her friends with a gimlet eye while Rick made his way into the kitchen for drinks. "All right, spill," she demanded.

"Montgomery's gone," Esposito began, dropping into a seat at the counter. "His family, too. The house burned – we're pretty sure Lockwood did that. But they were already in WITSEC at that point, so they're okay. But they're gone."

"He's going to do time," Ryan added. "We don't know how much, but they're shipping him off under his new name. He'll be close enough to his family so they can visit, and when his time's up, he'll transition out just like... like normal." _Like any other criminal,_ he didn't say.

Castle returned with drinks a moment later, having gotten himself a glass of water. He leaned against the couch for a moment, watching as everyone fell silent. "What about the Senator?" he finally asked, knowing that Kate wanted the answer just as much as he did.

Esposito put down his glass, glancing at Ryan before he answered. "Jordan has him in custody. They were going to wait for you guys but she had a feeling he might run with no contact from either Lockwood or the other guy."

Kate nodded in understanding, glancing over when she noticed Rick fighting a yawn. She turned to look at Lanie and her friend nodded as she put her glass down.

"Come on you two. If I'm not mistaken you had paperwork to finish," Lanie said without pause. Both Ryan and Esposito looked like they wanted to complain but they held back at a glare from the medical examiner.

Both guys took their glasses to the kitten before getting ready to go with a suffering sigh. "We'll check in later, bro. See ya, Beckett," Esposito took Lanie's hand and almost pulled her out the door as she waved goodbye. Ryan stayed around a moment longer, patting Castle on the shoulder and as he gave Kate a smile.

"Good to have you back," he offered before leaving the couple alone in Rick's loft.

Once they were gone, Rick set his glass aside and moved to take Kate in his arms. She leaned against him, draping her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad we're home," she said softly into his shirt.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to the crown of her head. "Me, too."

She sighed heavily, looking over their arms toward the window. "I know it's the middle of the day and all, but can we..."

"Just go to bed and sleep for a week? I was about to suggest the same thing."

They laughed softly together, and then she stretched up and kissed his lips gently. "Please," she said softly.

He took her hand, leading her across the main room and into his bedroom. He gave her an oversized t-shirt and she went into the bathroom; when she came out, her face was clean of makeup and she was swimming in his favorite Invader Zim shirt. He kissed her gently as he passed her, going in to use the bathroom himself, and when he came out, bare-chested in his pajama pants, she was already curled up in the bed.

Rick paused halfway to the bed, smiling at the image of her lying there. It was different here than in Venice because this was his home and his bed and she was in it. Smiling, he climbed into the bed and pulled her against his chest with care, wrapping her up in his arms. Kate relaxed into his body with a sigh, closing her eyes. Both were asleep before anything could be said.

* * *

><p>"Richard, darling! I'm home!" Martha's voice carried to Castle's room, but it did little to wake him. They had only managed a few hours' worth of sleep and he tugged Kate closer to his body with a soft groan, burying his face against her neck. She shifted in his arms but only mumbled something incoherent before she was out like a light again.<p>

In the living room, Martha looked around, certain that her son was back. His bags, and what seemed to be Kate's, were next to the door and there were glasses on the counter in the kitchen. Taking a deep breath she moved toward her son's bedroom, opening the door with a flourish. "Richard, are you – oh my-"

"… Mother?" this time Rick rolled slightly onto his side, letting go of Kate as he turned to look at his mother, a slight blush gracing his features when he realized what Martha had found.

"I see that you're home, darling," she stated with a mischievous smile.

"And I see that you are as well. Make yourself useful, will you, Mother? Alexis needs a flight back from Los Angeles."

Martha nodded. "Of course, dear. Kate, I'm so glad to see you. Now, you both get some rest." She shut the door again, and they both listened to the sound of her heels on the wood floor as she strolled away.

"Hmm," Rick said as he laid himself back down and pulled Kate back into the circle of his arms. "That was convenient." He rested his chin on her shoulder and closed his eyes again.

She chuckled softly. "She didn't seem phased at all."

"There are very few things which can knock my mother off her stride," Castle confirmed. "Most of them involve fire." He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "Go back to sleep."

She did.

* * *

><p>The next day, feeling a bit more rested and with Alexis on her way home, they dressed and headed into the precinct about ten in the morning. Jordan was there waiting for them, a smirk on her face that Kate was sure wasn't entirely to do with the arrest of Senator Myers.<p>

"Detective. Castle. Nice to have you two back," Jordan greeted them, watching the way that Castle unconsciously hovered a little closer to Kate than he had just a year previously. She wasn't the only one to notice, however, and the detective turned, giving the writer a look that made him back off just slightly, but not enough to really count. Esposito and Ryan, sitting at their desks, hid their laughter behind coughing fits.

"Agent Shaw, nice to see you again," Kate replied, reaching out to shake hands with the woman in front of her. Castle stepped up behind her to do the same, giving Jordan one of his brilliant smiles. The other woman just shook her head, dropping his hand as she stepped back to look at Kate.

Something in her expression alerted the detective to what their next topic of conversation was going to be. "We have him in custody. He's in room one, if you want to see him."

Kate turned slowly and looked toward the interrogation rooms. Through the tiny window inset in the door, she could see Myers sitting at the table, looking angry and defeated. She stared at the door for a long time, and the others could see the debate playing out on her face. Finally, though, she turned her back on the door and shook her head. "No," she said softly. "I don't think I do."

Shaw nodded, not looking the least bit surprised. After a moment, she spoke. "He made a deal." When Kate looked back up at her, she nodded. "Details got hammered out this morning. He'll spend the rest of his life in prison, but he doesn't get the needle. And all of his assets have been seized, so he's as poor as a church mouse. Poorer, really."

Kate's lips pressed tightly together as she considered this information. Finally, she nodded. "What charges?"

"The usual. Murder, extortion, conspiracy."

Kate nodded. Her eyes closed for a long moment, and when she opened them again she said, "What about Captain Montgomery?"

Jordan sighed softly. "He pled, also. Conspiracy, kidnapping and involuntary manslaughter. He'll do some time, but then he'll be out again, and in the meantime, his family is safe."

Kate nodded. Her eyes shimmered slightly. "Will you give him a message?"

"Of course."

"Tell him..." Kate swallowed hard. "Tell him I forgive him."

"I will," Jordan said softly. "I know it will mean a lot to him."

Rick stepped up behind Kate, letting his fingers brush low against her back. The touch was short before he pulled away and headed toward the break room. She didn't even watch him go. Instead, she walked to her desk and started rummaging through the drawers. Her face pulled in annoyance and she looked up, glaring at her partners across the room.

"Who ate my Skittles?"

Both men quickly scattered and Kate smiled once they were gone. She still had her touch, it seemed; even after a few weeks away. Jordan stayed in the background, watching as the other woman situated herself once more at her desk. Less than five minutes later Castle passed her by, setting down a coffee cup in front of Kate before he took up residence in his usual chair.

A moment passed between them and then Kate was smiling over the rim of her coffee and Rick was relaxed beside her. Jordan shook her head before walking away, getting ready to make the arrangements with Avery to have the Senator moved back.

Kate looked up as Jordan returned a few minutes later. "All done?"

"All done. We'll be out of your hair in just a few minutes."

Kate stood and came around her desk. "Thank you," she said softly. "For everything."

"You're welcome," Jordan replied sincerely. She stepped forward and hugged Kate. "Take care of yourself, okay?" She gave a slight nod of her head in Rick's direction. "And take care of him, too."

Kate laughed. "Somebody has to," she replied with a wry grin. "His daughter's going off to college soon."

Jordan chuckled softly, leaning around Kate to wave at Castle. He waved back before turning back to his conversation with the boys who had just reappeared. Looking back at the detective she smiled. "Hopefully next time we'll meet under better circumstances."

Kate nodded, offering another thank you as she watched Jordan leave. Rick broke away from Ryan and Esposito, moving to stand beside his muse. "You good?" he asked quietly after a moment. She nodded, turning to look at him.

"Yeah. I'm good," she replied just as quietly.

He nodded and then leaned a little closer to her than necessary at work. "You know, Detective, I always had this fantasy concerning an interro-"

The sharp elbow jab he received in his arm was enough to make him wince but the light smile on her face was worth it.

Around noon, Castle left to pick up Alexis at the airport. He squeezed Kate's hand before he left. "Dinner tonight? The three of us?"

Kate nodded. "Definitely." She watched him go with a slight, unconscious smile, and then returned to her paperwork. She was almost done typing up her official report of everything that had happened when the sound of someone clearing their throat – someone unfamiliar – caused her to look up. A woman in a suit was standing in front of her desk. "Can I help you?"

"Detective Beckett?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Kate replied warily.

"Lisa Benson. Your new captain." She offered her hand, and Kate shook it. "I'd like to speak with you privately, please."

"Of course, Captain." Kate saved her work and turned off her monitor, then stood and followed Benson into what had been Montgomery's office. She swallowed hard when she entered the room; all of Roy's things were still there. It still _felt_ like his office.

Benson saw her reaction and smiled slightly. "I'll be making some changes in here first thing," she admitted, closing the door. "But I know that you and Captain Montgomery were close. If there's anything you'd like to have, for a keepsake, let me know."

Kate smiled slightly. "Thank you."

She watched as the new captain took a seat behind the desk, her expression suddenly serious. "I've been informed that the Twelfth has some... unorthodox methods," she started in a tone that was somewhat sharp but still open. "Such as that you are shadowed by a novelist."

"Castle," Kate stated firmly, thinking about the man that had left not that long ago. "Richard Castle. My partner."

The look on Benson's face changed somewhat and Kate was suddenly aware of how much she had taken for granted with Montgomery letting Rick shadow her. "He cannot be your partner, Detective Beckett. He isn't NYPD. It is my understanding that Captain Montgomery had no issues with him tailing you."

"Castle doesn't get in the way. Actually, he has proven himself to be quite useful when it comes to solving cases." Kate informed her quietly. So far Benson hadn't made a move to shut it down immediately and she hoped that meant that the other woman was open to the idea.

Benson tapped her lips with her index finger, studying the detective. "I've spoken with the Commissioner about Mr. Castle. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that I have very serious concerns about his presence." She held up a hand to forestall anything Beckett might say. "They are the same concerns I would have regarding _any_ civilian being involved in police work. The Commissioner has similar concerns, but we are open to allowing Mr. Castle to continue his... consulting work. Under certain conditions."

"I'm listening," Kate said, still wary.

"I'll be watching your team closely. I don't say that to make you paranoid, or to sound harsh and critical. I mean it simply as a statement of fact. I will be watching. I will be checking and double-checking everything that you do. And if I am satisfied that Mr. Castle is _not_ actually interfering with the process of police work that should be going on, then he can stay. If at any point I get even the slightest impression that he _is _interfering, he goes. This is not negotiable, Detective. If you argue with me on this, he goes today, and if you don't like that, you're welcome to go with him."

"Then I don't suppose I have much of an option, do I?"

"Frankly, Detective, you don't have any options at all." Benson leaned forward and put her elbows on the desk. "Let me be very blunt with you, Kate. Look around you. How many female detectives are there in the various homicide divisions of the NYPD?"

Kate paused and considered. "Not many."

"Not many. Precisely. And there are even less in the higher ranks. This is a boys' club, and you know that as well as I do. The Twelfth is currently viewed as being 'out of hand.' Montgomery was dirty, which was bad enough, but Castle... frankly, in some circles, he's viewed as a joke. I know that you like having him around, and I'm sure he occasionally has flashes of brilliance, but I'm going to be very, very honest with you: I have to think of my own career, and even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

Kate nodded. "I do, Captain." And she did. That didn't mean she had to like it.

Benson sat back. "Okay. So please understand that I'm going to be watching you. I _have_ to. It's nothing personal. And if he has to go, then he has to go, and I can't back down on this."

"I do get that, Captain," Beckett admitted. "But I'm pretty confident we'll be able to prove ourselves."

"I'm not," Benson replied bluntly. "But we'll see. I do promise to keep an open mind. All right?"

"Fair enough." Kate waited a moment before she spoke again, keeping her tone calm. "Is that all?"

Benson nodded, dismissing her without another word. Kate shut the door behind her when she left, feeling herself tense up a little. Ryan was nowhere to be seen but Esposito automatically tuned in to her mood. "Yo Beckett, everything good?"

She thought about lying to him for less than a second before she walked over to his desk and leaned against the edge. "New captain," she started out. He nodded his head in agreement, looking at his computer screen as she talked. "We're going to have to be careful. Castle especially. She has his number."

Esposito tensed up a little but it passed quickly. "Don't worry. Even he's not dumb enough to screw this up," he commented after a moment. Kate shook her head, smiling a little. If it had to do with her then Castle would try his hardest to make it right.

She went back to her desk, determined to be done by five o'clock. She had somewhere to be that night.

* * *

><p>When she arrived at the Castle loft, the first thing she noticed was the smell wafting out of the open door. She poked her head in and looked around the corner into the kitchen. "Is it safe to come in, or should I call the fire department?"<p>

"Oh, very funny," Rick replied, giving her a sour look.

She strolled in, pushing the door shut behind her. "Seriously, what did you set on fire?"

"Dad was trying to make Steak Diane," Alexis explained as she came down the stairs. "It involves flambé. Unfortunately, the only thing that got seared was his shoes."

"That would be why I'm smelling burned rubber," Kate said, laughing as she accepted a hug from Alexis. "But I assume since he's standing and glaring that he's not hurt."

"Just his pride." Alexis looked up at her. "Are _you_ okay?"

Kate nodded, giving her a smile. "Better than okay," she replied after a moment. It was true. Now that she was with Castle and Alexis she felt better than she had all day.

The teenager smiled back before heading toward the stairs again. "Call me when it's done, please."

Rick shook his head with a slight smile, glancing up at Kate. "Ashley. They've been on the phone since she arrived home," he explained as he left the stove. She smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck when he was close.

"How are you feeling, Tiger?" she asked with a grin. Rick gave her a wry grin in return, bending down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"You asked at a good time. The pain killers are kicking in."

A worried look passed over her features but he leaned down to kiss it away. "Rick –"

"I'm fine. I laid down earlier and twisted a little. It doesn't hurt much, scout's honor," he promised.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, poking his chest gently. "You were never a scout."

He chuckled, leaning down to kiss her gently. "No, I wasn't. But it's true. I'm fine."

She studied him carefully, then finally nodded, running a hand down his chest. "You'd better be," she said softly. "I need you healthy for all the stuff I have planned for you."

He grinned back. "Don't worry," he assured her. "I need me healthy for all the stuff I have planned, too."

"Oh?" she asked, her brow arching. "And what do those plans include?"

He laughed. "For now? Dinner. Maybe some dancing – vertical, at least until Alexis goes to bed. After that, maybe horizontal." He leaned down and kissed her thoroughly, then whispered into her ear. "And later? More crime solving. Lots of movies, dinners, walks in the park. Eventually I'll need to be able to get down on one knee. And I've got to have good ribs for picking up babies. So don't worry, Kate." He kissed her again, soft and slow. "I have every intention of being very careful until I'm back to a hundred percent."

When he finished speaking, she looked up into his eyes, her own shining. "You really want all that? With me?"

"I really do," he murmured. "What do you say, Kate? You up for that kind of an adventure with me?"

She reached up and wrapped her hand around his neck, pulling him down for another long, slow kiss. "Always."

* * *

><p><strong><em>The end.<em>**

_I would like to personally thank every single person who reviewed this story. I know I didn't personally respond to as many of you as I intended to, but I did read every single comment, even the critical ones! :) Thank you all so much for caring enough to let me know what you thought about our story. My co-author (WonderTwinC) and I have been absolutely floored by the number of hits this little tale has gotten, and the number of alerts and faves has been boggling. We are both so very grateful for your support._

_I would also like to thank my wonderful beta, secondalto, without whom this story would have had WAY more flaws than just the ones you guys caught. ;)  
><em>

_ Thank you all for staying with us til now. We hope you enjoyed the ride as much as we did!_


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